Personnel of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) in Tamale are on the warpath with drivers and riders of motor cycles in the metropolis.
This follows the intensification of an exercise to deal with vehicle and motor drivers who fail to adhere to traffic and safety regulations, resulting in gross indiscipline on the roads.
The Northern Regional Commander of the MTTU, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Godwin Cashman Blewushie, joined the team to arrest recalcitrant drivers, some of who tried to thwart the exercise.
Motor riders are the most offenders due to their failure to wear crush helmets, register their motorbikes, acquire driving licences or follow traffic rules.
Some other riders overloaded their motorbikes or used fake number plates and unapproved routes, such as pedestrian lanes and one-way streets.
About 50 motorbikes have so far been impounded, while a number of expired driving licences have been seized. The owners of these bikes and licences have been converging on the premises of the MTTU to plead but the MTTU insists sanity must prevail.
“Go home and bring us documents to show you have registered your motorbikes and that you have been licensed to use these bikes” DSP Blewushie told the culprits.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the MTTU commander observed that many motorcycle riders in Tamale did not even know they should have licences. He said apart from licences, all motorbikes and vehicles need to be registered and insured.
DSP Blewushie also noted that the licences held by a lot of the drivers had expired but they had failed to renew them. He said other drivers were also holding photocopied licences, insisting that “the law does not recognise a photocopied licence because it could be forged.”
DSP Blewushie said the police was working to secure the interest of citizens, adding that, “when we enforce safety regulations, it leads to the protection of lives,curbing avoidable accidents.”
He also explained that some unscrupulous persons could use the unregistered motorbikes to commit crimes and escape.
The failure to wear helmets has been one of the common offences of riders of motorcycles in Tamale.
According to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), more than 50 per cent of deaths resulting from motor accidents in Tamale are due to head injuries, which imply that the victims did not wear any crush helmet.
Road safety experts agree that wearing a helmet is one of the most important things a motorcycle rider can do for protection while riding because it protects the rider by preventing brain and spinal cord injuries.
Meanwhile the Dakpema, a traditional leader in Tamale, says he fully supports any exercise that would ensure discipline on the roads of Tamale.
One of his sub-chiefs, the Diema-Naa, Mr Mohammed Hafiz, told the Daily Graphic that “it is the Dakpema’s wish to see sanity on the roads of Tamale as it is fast becoming a sprawling city.”
He, however, noted that the Dakpema was exploring ways of collaborating with the police to sensitise riders to traffic and road safety regulations so as to avoid the situation where the police are compelled to make arrests that usually led to tension between the MTTU and residents.
Friday, October 29, 2010
TAMALE FRUIT COMPANY SUPPORRTS 4 COMMUNITIES (PAGE 11, OCT 29, 2010)
AN annual scholarship scheme has been instituted to support children in four deprived communities in the Savelugu/Nanton District of the Northern Region to enable them to pursue education to the tertiary level.
The scheme is being implemented under the Children to School Project (CSTP) and sponsored by the Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (ITFC), a subsidiary of Wienco Ghana Limited, as part of its corporate social responsibility to its operational communities.
The beneficiary communities are Dipali, Tuunaayili, Gushei and Tiglasugu Tampia.
The scheme comes under two categories: a general scholarship and a competitive one. Under the competitive one, which is more attractive, two children from each of the four communities, who perform to meet a set target would enjoy full scholarship each year.
Those beneficiaries who sustain or improve upon their performance would continue to receive this sponsorship till they complete tertiary education.
The other category, known as the general scholarship, is for all primary pupils transiting to junior high school. They are given a support package that includes books, pens and pencils, school bags and T-shirts.
It was a joyous occasion at the launch of the scheme in Gushei as parents of the maiden beneficiaries accompanied their children to receive their scholarships.
A total of 105 children received the scholarships. While 16 children qualified for the competitive scholarship, the other children benefited from the general scholarship.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Savelugu/Nanton, Mr Prince Askia Mohammed, commended the ITFC and its mother company, Wienco Ghana Ltd, for their continuous support to the development and growth of communities in the district.
He said the assembly was delighted that the ITFC had gone beyond supporting farmers to helping children to pursue their education without hindrance and therefore, pledged the assembly’s continuous support to the operations of the company.
The owner of Wienco Ghana Limited, Mr Henri Wientjes, said his motivation to fund the scholarship programme was due to his interest in the well-being of other people.
He, however, stated that his desire would only be fulfilled if the children utilised the scholarship programme and improved their performance.
Mr Wientjes challenged the children not to let their deprivation limit them, but rather let it inspire them to reach greater heights.
The District Director of Education, Ms Adriana Kandilige, said the support that the ITFC, through the CTSP, had given to the four primary schools in Dipali, Tuunaayili, Gushei and Tiglasugu Tampia was overwhelming.
She mentioned, for instance, that under the CTSP, voluntary teachers were being sponsored to teach in these four schools, adding that teachers’ bungalows had been provided, while a school feeding programme was operating in the four schools and the children regularly received teaching and learning materials.
The scheme is being implemented under the Children to School Project (CSTP) and sponsored by the Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (ITFC), a subsidiary of Wienco Ghana Limited, as part of its corporate social responsibility to its operational communities.
The beneficiary communities are Dipali, Tuunaayili, Gushei and Tiglasugu Tampia.
The scheme comes under two categories: a general scholarship and a competitive one. Under the competitive one, which is more attractive, two children from each of the four communities, who perform to meet a set target would enjoy full scholarship each year.
Those beneficiaries who sustain or improve upon their performance would continue to receive this sponsorship till they complete tertiary education.
The other category, known as the general scholarship, is for all primary pupils transiting to junior high school. They are given a support package that includes books, pens and pencils, school bags and T-shirts.
It was a joyous occasion at the launch of the scheme in Gushei as parents of the maiden beneficiaries accompanied their children to receive their scholarships.
A total of 105 children received the scholarships. While 16 children qualified for the competitive scholarship, the other children benefited from the general scholarship.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Savelugu/Nanton, Mr Prince Askia Mohammed, commended the ITFC and its mother company, Wienco Ghana Ltd, for their continuous support to the development and growth of communities in the district.
He said the assembly was delighted that the ITFC had gone beyond supporting farmers to helping children to pursue their education without hindrance and therefore, pledged the assembly’s continuous support to the operations of the company.
The owner of Wienco Ghana Limited, Mr Henri Wientjes, said his motivation to fund the scholarship programme was due to his interest in the well-being of other people.
He, however, stated that his desire would only be fulfilled if the children utilised the scholarship programme and improved their performance.
Mr Wientjes challenged the children not to let their deprivation limit them, but rather let it inspire them to reach greater heights.
The District Director of Education, Ms Adriana Kandilige, said the support that the ITFC, through the CTSP, had given to the four primary schools in Dipali, Tuunaayili, Gushei and Tiglasugu Tampia was overwhelming.
She mentioned, for instance, that under the CTSP, voluntary teachers were being sponsored to teach in these four schools, adding that teachers’ bungalows had been provided, while a school feeding programme was operating in the four schools and the children regularly received teaching and learning materials.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
STEP TO IMPROVE SANITATION ...In Yendi basic schools (PAGE 42, OCT 27, 2010)
BY 2015, Ghana and other developing countries are expected to halve the proportion of their population without sanitation as part of meeting the targets of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on environmental sustainability.
To meet this target, most interventions have been focused mainly on improving sanitation at public places, such as the provision of community and household latrines, the cleaning of streets and markets and the provision of safe water sources.
However, this goal cannot be achieved if the schools, which are the places where children spend most of their time lack improved sanitation facilities, potable water and are unable to manage their waste properly.
The Yendi Municipality in the Northern Region is one of the places in the country where many basic schools lack sanitation facilities and the problem is a setback to the municipality’s drive to achieve total sanitation.
According to the Ghana Education Service (GES), out of the 190 schools in the Yendi Municipality, only 64 have latrines, 72 of them have hand washing facilities and just about 20 have boreholes.
The rest are without these facilities and one can imagine the hell that the pupils and authorities in these schools go through. Open defecation and haphazard urinating are the norm in such schools, a situation which leads to the outbreak of diarrhoea and other diseases.
Again, these schools have no source of safe water for drinking and hand washing. Some of the latrines and urinals are in poor condition and waste collection and disposal are also poorly managed.
In view of the situation, the Community Life Improvement Programme (CLIP) of the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has organised a forum for duty bearers and citizens, including students and teachers, to deliberate on how to improve sanitation at basic schools in Yendi.
The discussion centred on the theme: “Analysing the sanitation policy and calling on all to wake up to their responsibility.”
Addressing the forum, the Planning Officer for the Yendi Municipal Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Shaibu, said the assembly had an elaborate plan to construct more latrines and also rehabilitate existing ones that were in deplorable conditions in the schools.
He, however, said that the assembly was faced with some setbacks, notably the unavailability of funds to vigorously construct adequate sanitary facilities not only in the schools, but also in other places in the municipality.
Alhaji Shaibu said ideally each school should have separate facilities for both boys and girls, but noted that due to the lack of funds, the assembly was sometimes compelled to construct shared latrines for both sexes.
Mr Shaibu mentioned the encroachment of school lands as another factor, which impeded the process of constructing latrines for basic schools.
According to him, there is not much space on some of the school lands to accommodate such facilities because the surrounding communities had built houses on school lands.
He also lamented the pressure put on school sanitation facilities, following the shared usage of such facilities between the schools and nearby communities.
Alhaji Shaibu, however, stated that despite the challenges, he was optimistic that sanitation in basic schools in Yendi could be enhanced greatly in the near future.
He said currently, the assembly through the European Union (EU) and UNICEF’s IWASH programme, was providing latrines, boreholes and hand-washing facilities to some schools in the municipality.
The forum also discussed the Schools Health Education Programme (SHEF) being operated by the GES and how effective it was in enhancing sanitation in basic schools in Yendi.
The Programme Co-ordinator of the SHEF in the Yendi Municipality, Mr Zakaria Abukari, explained that the GES was hindered by the same challenges that the assembly was facing in maintaining sanitation.
They included lack of funds to supply sanitation facilities, inadequate space for construction, abuse of school latrines by communities, open defecation around school premises and inadequate resources to carry out monitoring.
He said, however, that some progress was being made, citing a collaboration between the GES, the assembly, the European Union, UNICEF, Catholic Relief Services and other partners, to provide latrines in schools, boreholes and distribution of hand washing facilities, cleaning equipment and some litter bins.
Mr Zakaria said “ensuring safe sanitation in schools is a collective responsibility: The school authorities, pupils, parents, the assembly, the GES, Town and Country Planning, opinion leaders, environmental health unit, among others, must all play a part.”
The Co-ordinator of CLIP, Mr Adam Illiasu, stated that the sanitation dialogue formed part of the Community Managed Livelihood Improvement (CMLI), under the Empowerment for Life (E4L) programme of the GDCA.
“It is our hope that such dialogues will serve as a catalyst to promote and facilitate the institutionalisation of a sustainable financing system for school sanitation and engender positive behavioural change in schoolchildren towards good sanitation,” he stated.
Mr Illiasu said in spite of Ghana’s elaborate policy on environmental sanitation, “access is still very low, funding is ridiculously low and sanitation-related diseases with their attendant social and economic costs were extremely high.”
To meet this target, most interventions have been focused mainly on improving sanitation at public places, such as the provision of community and household latrines, the cleaning of streets and markets and the provision of safe water sources.
However, this goal cannot be achieved if the schools, which are the places where children spend most of their time lack improved sanitation facilities, potable water and are unable to manage their waste properly.
The Yendi Municipality in the Northern Region is one of the places in the country where many basic schools lack sanitation facilities and the problem is a setback to the municipality’s drive to achieve total sanitation.
According to the Ghana Education Service (GES), out of the 190 schools in the Yendi Municipality, only 64 have latrines, 72 of them have hand washing facilities and just about 20 have boreholes.
The rest are without these facilities and one can imagine the hell that the pupils and authorities in these schools go through. Open defecation and haphazard urinating are the norm in such schools, a situation which leads to the outbreak of diarrhoea and other diseases.
Again, these schools have no source of safe water for drinking and hand washing. Some of the latrines and urinals are in poor condition and waste collection and disposal are also poorly managed.
In view of the situation, the Community Life Improvement Programme (CLIP) of the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has organised a forum for duty bearers and citizens, including students and teachers, to deliberate on how to improve sanitation at basic schools in Yendi.
The discussion centred on the theme: “Analysing the sanitation policy and calling on all to wake up to their responsibility.”
Addressing the forum, the Planning Officer for the Yendi Municipal Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Shaibu, said the assembly had an elaborate plan to construct more latrines and also rehabilitate existing ones that were in deplorable conditions in the schools.
He, however, said that the assembly was faced with some setbacks, notably the unavailability of funds to vigorously construct adequate sanitary facilities not only in the schools, but also in other places in the municipality.
Alhaji Shaibu said ideally each school should have separate facilities for both boys and girls, but noted that due to the lack of funds, the assembly was sometimes compelled to construct shared latrines for both sexes.
Mr Shaibu mentioned the encroachment of school lands as another factor, which impeded the process of constructing latrines for basic schools.
According to him, there is not much space on some of the school lands to accommodate such facilities because the surrounding communities had built houses on school lands.
He also lamented the pressure put on school sanitation facilities, following the shared usage of such facilities between the schools and nearby communities.
Alhaji Shaibu, however, stated that despite the challenges, he was optimistic that sanitation in basic schools in Yendi could be enhanced greatly in the near future.
He said currently, the assembly through the European Union (EU) and UNICEF’s IWASH programme, was providing latrines, boreholes and hand-washing facilities to some schools in the municipality.
The forum also discussed the Schools Health Education Programme (SHEF) being operated by the GES and how effective it was in enhancing sanitation in basic schools in Yendi.
The Programme Co-ordinator of the SHEF in the Yendi Municipality, Mr Zakaria Abukari, explained that the GES was hindered by the same challenges that the assembly was facing in maintaining sanitation.
They included lack of funds to supply sanitation facilities, inadequate space for construction, abuse of school latrines by communities, open defecation around school premises and inadequate resources to carry out monitoring.
He said, however, that some progress was being made, citing a collaboration between the GES, the assembly, the European Union, UNICEF, Catholic Relief Services and other partners, to provide latrines in schools, boreholes and distribution of hand washing facilities, cleaning equipment and some litter bins.
Mr Zakaria said “ensuring safe sanitation in schools is a collective responsibility: The school authorities, pupils, parents, the assembly, the GES, Town and Country Planning, opinion leaders, environmental health unit, among others, must all play a part.”
The Co-ordinator of CLIP, Mr Adam Illiasu, stated that the sanitation dialogue formed part of the Community Managed Livelihood Improvement (CMLI), under the Empowerment for Life (E4L) programme of the GDCA.
“It is our hope that such dialogues will serve as a catalyst to promote and facilitate the institutionalisation of a sustainable financing system for school sanitation and engender positive behavioural change in schoolchildren towards good sanitation,” he stated.
Mr Illiasu said in spite of Ghana’s elaborate policy on environmental sanitation, “access is still very low, funding is ridiculously low and sanitation-related diseases with their attendant social and economic costs were extremely high.”
TWO MORE KILLED BY FLOODS IN CENTRAL GONJA (BACK PAGE, OCT 27, 2010)
Cocoa farmers in the Western Region have introduced innovations by interspersing cocoa trees with timber species to maximise returns on their agricultural ventures.
The initiative, which has been made possible under the farm forest project of CARE-Ghana, is also intended to save the dwindling timber species and forest cover in the region.
So far about 700,000 highly valued economic trees, including Mahogany, Afram, Wawa, Odum, and Emire, have been planted in the cocoa farms.
More than $400,000 has so far been spent on the project, which began about two years ago in more than 50 communities in the Jomoro, Sefwi Wiawso, Juaboso, Wassa Amenfi, and Sefwi Akontobrah districts, as well as the Tarkwa Nsuaem municipality.
The visiting Royal Prince of Denmark, Prince Joachiem, who is also the patron of CARE- Denmark, which is supporting the project, has inspected some of the pilot farms in some of the communities.
The farmers who signed onto the project earlier are reaping the benefits now as timber companies have already deposited huge sums of money awaiting the trees to mature.
Mr Ben Arthur of CARE-Ghana office in the Western Region said the focus of the project was to ensure that the farmers, apart from the benefits of bumper cocoa harvest, could also sell the timber to gain extra income in future.
He said research had shown that the timber species could be planted in between the cocoa trees and that while the farmer harvested the fruits from the cocoa tree he would also have the opportunity of harvesting these trees after 25 years or more.
Prince Joachim commended the farmers for embracing the project to preserve and protect nature.
The initiative, which has been made possible under the farm forest project of CARE-Ghana, is also intended to save the dwindling timber species and forest cover in the region.
So far about 700,000 highly valued economic trees, including Mahogany, Afram, Wawa, Odum, and Emire, have been planted in the cocoa farms.
More than $400,000 has so far been spent on the project, which began about two years ago in more than 50 communities in the Jomoro, Sefwi Wiawso, Juaboso, Wassa Amenfi, and Sefwi Akontobrah districts, as well as the Tarkwa Nsuaem municipality.
The visiting Royal Prince of Denmark, Prince Joachiem, who is also the patron of CARE- Denmark, which is supporting the project, has inspected some of the pilot farms in some of the communities.
The farmers who signed onto the project earlier are reaping the benefits now as timber companies have already deposited huge sums of money awaiting the trees to mature.
Mr Ben Arthur of CARE-Ghana office in the Western Region said the focus of the project was to ensure that the farmers, apart from the benefits of bumper cocoa harvest, could also sell the timber to gain extra income in future.
He said research had shown that the timber species could be planted in between the cocoa trees and that while the farmer harvested the fruits from the cocoa tree he would also have the opportunity of harvesting these trees after 25 years or more.
Prince Joachim commended the farmers for embracing the project to preserve and protect nature.
ADB OPENS MORE BRANCHES IN NORTHERN GHANA (SPREAD, OCT 25, 2010)
THE Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has expanded its operations in the northern sector as part of efforts to enhance the people’s access to credit for agriculture and other small scale businesses.
The bank, on Wednesday, increased its branches in the three northern regions from six to ten (10) after it inaugurated four more branches in Navrongo in the Upper East region and Yendi, Savelugu and Walewale in the Northern Region.
This is in line with the bank’s three-year strategic plan, which was designed to place the bank among the top three performing banks in the country by 2012 by increasing its presence in all parts of the country and serving its customers a dish of enhanced banking products, with increased focus on agric financing.
Opening the Yendi branch, the Deputy Minister for Agriculture in charge of Fisheries, Nii Amassah Namoale commended the ADB for endeavouring to bring its services to the doorsteps of people in the northern sector.
He however urged the ADB and other commercial banks to consider reducing their interest rates to enable more people, particularly farmers and small scale business operators to access credit.
The deputy minister also reiterated the need for loan beneficiaries to repay their loans in time, warning that failure to do so would be an attempt to “kill the goose that lays the golden egg.”
“If you repay your loans, it encourages the bank to provide you more credit and this enables you to expand your businesses and make more profits whiles the bank also grows,” he noted.
The Managing Director of ADB, Mr Stephen Kpordzih explained that the expansion of the ADB’s operations in the north was, particularly, of immense significance to the development of agriculture in the north due to the bank’s commitment towards agricultural financing.
“The three regions offer huge potentials for increased production of food, industrial and export crops, poultry and livestock,” he stated, adding that “expanding our reach in these areas therefore means a greater boost for agribusiness in areas like transportation, storage, preservation, warehousing, input distribution, marketing, among others.”
Mr Kpordzih again noted that increasing the number and distribution of ADB’s business locations in northern Ghana would enable the inhabitants to access the services of the bank with greater comfort and convenience.
He said the customers would also have the opportunity to benefit from the bank’s enhanced bouquet of banking products, which include four new products that were launched during the branch opening. They are the Payday Plus, Mmofra Account, Pension Plus and Student Save Account, which are all specialised accounts for various categories of customers.
The MD further mentioned that customers in the northern sector would also benefit from the ADB’s enhanced electronic banking services, such as the Quickcash ATM service and the recently added QuickAlert and QuickMail services that enable customers to transact business via mobile phones and emails.
The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi entreated the residents to save with the ADB and also exploit its loan offerings to enhance their businesses.
The bank, on Wednesday, increased its branches in the three northern regions from six to ten (10) after it inaugurated four more branches in Navrongo in the Upper East region and Yendi, Savelugu and Walewale in the Northern Region.
This is in line with the bank’s three-year strategic plan, which was designed to place the bank among the top three performing banks in the country by 2012 by increasing its presence in all parts of the country and serving its customers a dish of enhanced banking products, with increased focus on agric financing.
Opening the Yendi branch, the Deputy Minister for Agriculture in charge of Fisheries, Nii Amassah Namoale commended the ADB for endeavouring to bring its services to the doorsteps of people in the northern sector.
He however urged the ADB and other commercial banks to consider reducing their interest rates to enable more people, particularly farmers and small scale business operators to access credit.
The deputy minister also reiterated the need for loan beneficiaries to repay their loans in time, warning that failure to do so would be an attempt to “kill the goose that lays the golden egg.”
“If you repay your loans, it encourages the bank to provide you more credit and this enables you to expand your businesses and make more profits whiles the bank also grows,” he noted.
The Managing Director of ADB, Mr Stephen Kpordzih explained that the expansion of the ADB’s operations in the north was, particularly, of immense significance to the development of agriculture in the north due to the bank’s commitment towards agricultural financing.
“The three regions offer huge potentials for increased production of food, industrial and export crops, poultry and livestock,” he stated, adding that “expanding our reach in these areas therefore means a greater boost for agribusiness in areas like transportation, storage, preservation, warehousing, input distribution, marketing, among others.”
Mr Kpordzih again noted that increasing the number and distribution of ADB’s business locations in northern Ghana would enable the inhabitants to access the services of the bank with greater comfort and convenience.
He said the customers would also have the opportunity to benefit from the bank’s enhanced bouquet of banking products, which include four new products that were launched during the branch opening. They are the Payday Plus, Mmofra Account, Pension Plus and Student Save Account, which are all specialised accounts for various categories of customers.
The MD further mentioned that customers in the northern sector would also benefit from the ADB’s enhanced electronic banking services, such as the Quickcash ATM service and the recently added QuickAlert and QuickMail services that enable customers to transact business via mobile phones and emails.
The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi entreated the residents to save with the ADB and also exploit its loan offerings to enhance their businesses.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
RAINS RENDER ROADS DEPLORABLE (PAGE 29, OCT 27, 2010)
THIS year, the northern part of Ghana has witnessed one of its heaviest rains and this has led to the flooding of many communities in the various districts. Lives have been lost, houses collapsed, roads destroyed, farms inundated and communities cut off from each other.
Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region, was not spared its share of the destruction. One person was confirmed dead while several others sustained various degrees of injuries when the buildings they were residing in collapsed on them during the rains.
The daily lives of people living in parts of Gumani, Koblimahagu, Builpela, Kukuo, Wamali and Fuo became a nightmare as they had to move through water and swamp to and from home.
One of the most visible leftovers of the floods was the destruction caused to road networks in the various suburbs of the metropolis.
Some portions of various feeder roads were washed away by the running water, leaving behind large potholes on several portions.
For instance, roads in the Gbewa community, behind the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Kukuo, were severely damaged dividing some of the roads into halves.
The residents of the area told the Daily Graphic that the nature of the roads was impeding movement, particularly for drivers of automobiles, as they had to manoeuvre their way through the potholes.
“Sometimes, you just have to park your car at a point and try to cross a ditch to the other side,” Mr Abdul Sadiq, a resident, stated.
One thing that the rains have, however, exposed is the failure of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) to tar many roads in the city. Apart from the roads in the main township, the rest are dusty roads that are awarded on contract periodically for reshaping.
This year, for instance, the main road in the Gbewa community was reshaped, but the floods have damaged the road once more, thereby leading to a waste of resources.
Except for the late 1990s and between 2002 and 2008, the metropolis has not undergone any major improvements in its road networks in recent times.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the TaMA, Mr Issah Musah, said the assembly had noted the deplorable condition of many roads in the city and had drawn up a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate them.
He said the plan, which was drafted in collaboration with the Urban Roads Department, captured all important roads in the city, but noted that the lack of funds was hindering the implementation of the plan.
Notwithstanding the challenge of lack of finance, Mr Musah insisted that there was some hope that the roads in the metropolis would be improved soon.
He noted, for instance, that some of the major roads had been captured in a proposal for special attention under the Ghana Urban Management Project (GUMP), which is to be sponsored by the French Development Agency (AFD).
These projects, he mentioned, included the upgrading of a portion of Tamale’s second ring road, between TAYSEC Junction and the SSNIT Flat Roundabout and access roads within Tishigu and Moshi Zongo.
The PRO also mentioned the rehabilitation of the Aboabo lorry park and the construction of the Gumani storm drain and retention point as two other projects that had been included in the proposal.
He said whiles the assembly waited for approval to undertake these projects, it had taken some temporary measures such as the rehabilitation of the assembly’s grader, which was being used from time to time to undertake minor repair works on the roads.
Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region, was not spared its share of the destruction. One person was confirmed dead while several others sustained various degrees of injuries when the buildings they were residing in collapsed on them during the rains.
The daily lives of people living in parts of Gumani, Koblimahagu, Builpela, Kukuo, Wamali and Fuo became a nightmare as they had to move through water and swamp to and from home.
One of the most visible leftovers of the floods was the destruction caused to road networks in the various suburbs of the metropolis.
Some portions of various feeder roads were washed away by the running water, leaving behind large potholes on several portions.
For instance, roads in the Gbewa community, behind the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Kukuo, were severely damaged dividing some of the roads into halves.
The residents of the area told the Daily Graphic that the nature of the roads was impeding movement, particularly for drivers of automobiles, as they had to manoeuvre their way through the potholes.
“Sometimes, you just have to park your car at a point and try to cross a ditch to the other side,” Mr Abdul Sadiq, a resident, stated.
One thing that the rains have, however, exposed is the failure of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) to tar many roads in the city. Apart from the roads in the main township, the rest are dusty roads that are awarded on contract periodically for reshaping.
This year, for instance, the main road in the Gbewa community was reshaped, but the floods have damaged the road once more, thereby leading to a waste of resources.
Except for the late 1990s and between 2002 and 2008, the metropolis has not undergone any major improvements in its road networks in recent times.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the TaMA, Mr Issah Musah, said the assembly had noted the deplorable condition of many roads in the city and had drawn up a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate them.
He said the plan, which was drafted in collaboration with the Urban Roads Department, captured all important roads in the city, but noted that the lack of funds was hindering the implementation of the plan.
Notwithstanding the challenge of lack of finance, Mr Musah insisted that there was some hope that the roads in the metropolis would be improved soon.
He noted, for instance, that some of the major roads had been captured in a proposal for special attention under the Ghana Urban Management Project (GUMP), which is to be sponsored by the French Development Agency (AFD).
These projects, he mentioned, included the upgrading of a portion of Tamale’s second ring road, between TAYSEC Junction and the SSNIT Flat Roundabout and access roads within Tishigu and Moshi Zongo.
The PRO also mentioned the rehabilitation of the Aboabo lorry park and the construction of the Gumani storm drain and retention point as two other projects that had been included in the proposal.
He said whiles the assembly waited for approval to undertake these projects, it had taken some temporary measures such as the rehabilitation of the assembly’s grader, which was being used from time to time to undertake minor repair works on the roads.
EU SUPPORTS FEMALE ASSEMBLY ASPIRANTS (PAGE 12, OCT 26, 2010)
THE European Union (EU) is supporting female aspirants who are contesting this year’s assembly elections in the Northern Region.
The EU is funding a project known as the Support for Women to Participate in Elections (SWOPE), which is being implemented by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), a network of organisations working in Northern Ghana.
Under the project, community durbars are organised in the various districts to create a platform for the female aspirants to convince the people about their ability to represent them at the assembly.
The project also organises training programmes to build the capacity of the women assembly hopefuls in the areas of leadership, accountability, advocacy and campaign development.
At one of the community durbars at Kulinkpegu, a community in the Yendi municipality, the Field Facilitator for the SWOPE project, Ms Alhassan Faidatu, noted that the aim of the project was to increase women’s participation in local and national governance.
He said the community durbars were used to solicit support for the female aspirants by educating the people to appreciate the role that women play in governance.
“Female candidates are mostly hindered in their desire to contest elections due to lack of finance and the negative perception about females in leadership,” the co-ordinator explained.
She said organising such community durbars, therefore, helps the aspirants to reach their target audience, which includes chiefs, opinion leaders and the youth.
Ms Faidatu mentioned that aside from the community durbars and workshops, the GDCA also acquired airtime on radio for female candidates to hold discussions and get their messages to reach a wider audience.
“We want our people to understand that the current political climate, both local and international, favours women empowerment and, therefore, our women should not be left out,” she explained.
Mr Faidatu further noted that increasing women’s involvement in governance would be to the benefit of the communities because women are more purposeful and aggressive pursuers of development, just as they do with home management.
“If a woman has the ability to organise the home, take care of the children and her husband and make critical decisions, then she has the ability to seek solutions to the problems confronting her community,” she stated, adding that current women leaders have demonstrated this ability.
The EU is funding a project known as the Support for Women to Participate in Elections (SWOPE), which is being implemented by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), a network of organisations working in Northern Ghana.
Under the project, community durbars are organised in the various districts to create a platform for the female aspirants to convince the people about their ability to represent them at the assembly.
The project also organises training programmes to build the capacity of the women assembly hopefuls in the areas of leadership, accountability, advocacy and campaign development.
At one of the community durbars at Kulinkpegu, a community in the Yendi municipality, the Field Facilitator for the SWOPE project, Ms Alhassan Faidatu, noted that the aim of the project was to increase women’s participation in local and national governance.
He said the community durbars were used to solicit support for the female aspirants by educating the people to appreciate the role that women play in governance.
“Female candidates are mostly hindered in their desire to contest elections due to lack of finance and the negative perception about females in leadership,” the co-ordinator explained.
She said organising such community durbars, therefore, helps the aspirants to reach their target audience, which includes chiefs, opinion leaders and the youth.
Ms Faidatu mentioned that aside from the community durbars and workshops, the GDCA also acquired airtime on radio for female candidates to hold discussions and get their messages to reach a wider audience.
“We want our people to understand that the current political climate, both local and international, favours women empowerment and, therefore, our women should not be left out,” she explained.
Mr Faidatu further noted that increasing women’s involvement in governance would be to the benefit of the communities because women are more purposeful and aggressive pursuers of development, just as they do with home management.
“If a woman has the ability to organise the home, take care of the children and her husband and make critical decisions, then she has the ability to seek solutions to the problems confronting her community,” she stated, adding that current women leaders have demonstrated this ability.
Monday, October 25, 2010
GRIDCO INTENSIFIES INDUSTRIAL SAFETY (PAGE 77, OCT 25, 2010)
THE Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), the nation’s main power distributor, has intensified its industrial safety measures to protect its vital equipment and personnel from injury and destruction during fire outbreaks.
In line with this, the company has tasked its technical audit committee to facilitate the setting up of Work Area Safety Committees (WASACOs) in all its locations by the end of March, next year.
The committees would be mandated to ensure that safety rules and regulations are strictly enforced at all its stations.
In addition, it has committed itself to make available adequate personal protective equipment, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and first aid facilities.
Already, the company has procured interactive safety training modules for both maintenance and non-maintenance staff and these include back safety, workplace ergonomics, transmission line safety and safety at switchyards.
The Chief Executive of GRIDCo, Mr Charles Darku, made this known in a speech read on his behalf during a staff durbar held at the Tamale area office as part of the company’s Safety Awareness Week Celebrations.
The event, which was marked on the theme “Emerging risks and new patterns in the power sector”, is staged annually to reinforce adherence to safety guidelines in the company, as well as engage in activities to promote the health of the staff.
Mr Darku noted that GRIDCo was intensifying its safety interventions, particularly because the company was modernising and expanding its transmission system infrastructure with new equipment and would, therefore, need to keep its workers abreast of the safety requirements regarding the operation of these equipment.
He mentioned, for instance, that the company was developing 330kV transmission lines and substations between Tema and Takoradi and noted that the company had begun training its representatives and co-ordinators in these areas in basic safety training.
Mr Darku said the management had resolved to have regular and continuous review of the jobs and workplace to identify emerging threats and what could endanger the safety, security and health of the workers and infrastructure.
As part of the Safety Awareness Week celebrations, personnel of the Tamale area office undertook a health walk and organised health talks on issues regarding hypertension, diabetes and prostate cancer.
They also undertook a clean-up exercise at the Tamale Children’s Home and later presented some assorted items to the home, including baby food supplements, detergents, toiletries and food items.
In line with this, the company has tasked its technical audit committee to facilitate the setting up of Work Area Safety Committees (WASACOs) in all its locations by the end of March, next year.
The committees would be mandated to ensure that safety rules and regulations are strictly enforced at all its stations.
In addition, it has committed itself to make available adequate personal protective equipment, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and first aid facilities.
Already, the company has procured interactive safety training modules for both maintenance and non-maintenance staff and these include back safety, workplace ergonomics, transmission line safety and safety at switchyards.
The Chief Executive of GRIDCo, Mr Charles Darku, made this known in a speech read on his behalf during a staff durbar held at the Tamale area office as part of the company’s Safety Awareness Week Celebrations.
The event, which was marked on the theme “Emerging risks and new patterns in the power sector”, is staged annually to reinforce adherence to safety guidelines in the company, as well as engage in activities to promote the health of the staff.
Mr Darku noted that GRIDCo was intensifying its safety interventions, particularly because the company was modernising and expanding its transmission system infrastructure with new equipment and would, therefore, need to keep its workers abreast of the safety requirements regarding the operation of these equipment.
He mentioned, for instance, that the company was developing 330kV transmission lines and substations between Tema and Takoradi and noted that the company had begun training its representatives and co-ordinators in these areas in basic safety training.
Mr Darku said the management had resolved to have regular and continuous review of the jobs and workplace to identify emerging threats and what could endanger the safety, security and health of the workers and infrastructure.
As part of the Safety Awareness Week celebrations, personnel of the Tamale area office undertook a health walk and organised health talks on issues regarding hypertension, diabetes and prostate cancer.
They also undertook a clean-up exercise at the Tamale Children’s Home and later presented some assorted items to the home, including baby food supplements, detergents, toiletries and food items.
Friday, October 22, 2010
KEEP TAMALE CLEAN TO AVOID DISEASES — NADMO (PAGE 18, OCT 22, 2010)
THE Tamale Metropolitan Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Hajia Abiba Kassim, has entreated residents of Tamale to keep the city clean.
According to her, the continuous choking of drains and haphazard disposal of waste could block the flow of water and this could cause floods and other disasters.
The co-ordinator was speaking to the residents during a clean-up exercise at the Shekhina Clinic at Gurugu, a suburb of Tamale, as part of activities to mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction, which was marked globally on October 13.
The clean-up exercise was organised by NADMO with support from the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA), Zoomlion Ghana and some community members of Gurugu.
The theme for this year’s disaster reduction campaign was “Making cities resilient: My city is getting ready”. The objective of the celebration was to engender a broader partnership between disaster management organisations, local government institutions and communities to find sustainable solutions to mitigate the occurrence of disasters.
Hajia Abiba later donated a quantity of used clothing to the clinic for distribution to the patients, most of whom were paupers being cared for by the clinic.
The Shekhina Clinic offers free medical services to deprived and disadvantaged people, including cured lepers, psychiatric patients and people living with HIV and AIDS.
The owner of the clinic, Dr David Abdulai, thanked the organisers and participants for undertaking the exercise, noting that this would help keep the surroundings of the health facility clean.
He said the used clothing would be distributed to the patients of the clinic and people under his care, who numbered about 3000.
In a related development members of the Northern Drama and Film Makers Association (NORDRAFIM) have embarked on a clean-up and blood donation exercises at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). Reports Vincent Amenuveve.
They swept and weeded the premises of the hospital and cleared choked drains.
Forty out of the 628 members of NORDRAFIM volunteered and donated blood to the Blood Bank of the hospital.
The exercise formed part of the association’s social responsibility programme. It was organised with support from Zoomlion Ghana Limited and Water Sachet Producers in the metropolis.
Briefing the media on the exercise, the President of NORDRAFIM, Mr Zakaria Saaka, said the association had over the years engaged in educating residents of the metropolis and the entire region on social vices through drama and films.
According to him, the members have also tasked themselves to eradicate chieftaincy, political, religious and ethnic differences among residents to promote peace.
“We are also more than ready and intend to participate in any self-help project and I can stand here to boast our achievements in the reduction of child labour, HIV and AIDS and teenage pregnancy prevention and promotion of political tolerance,” he stated.
Mr Saaka further pointed out that as one of the major tools in communication, drama and film should not be under-rated but given the needed recognition.
“We have realised that for the past few months we have been experiencing fatal accidents on our roads and so this blood donation is to support the blood bank to enable the unit to save lives,” the President further explained.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe, thanked NORDRAFIM for the gesture and said the group was one of the best organised groups to undertake the exercise.
“I am happy about the turnout and I must say this is a good initiative that other social groups should emulate,” Dr Sagoe stated.
According to him, the combination of the clean-up and blood donation by the association was the first of its kind to be embarked upon by a single group.
Pictures 2;
According to her, the continuous choking of drains and haphazard disposal of waste could block the flow of water and this could cause floods and other disasters.
The co-ordinator was speaking to the residents during a clean-up exercise at the Shekhina Clinic at Gurugu, a suburb of Tamale, as part of activities to mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction, which was marked globally on October 13.
The clean-up exercise was organised by NADMO with support from the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA), Zoomlion Ghana and some community members of Gurugu.
The theme for this year’s disaster reduction campaign was “Making cities resilient: My city is getting ready”. The objective of the celebration was to engender a broader partnership between disaster management organisations, local government institutions and communities to find sustainable solutions to mitigate the occurrence of disasters.
Hajia Abiba later donated a quantity of used clothing to the clinic for distribution to the patients, most of whom were paupers being cared for by the clinic.
The Shekhina Clinic offers free medical services to deprived and disadvantaged people, including cured lepers, psychiatric patients and people living with HIV and AIDS.
The owner of the clinic, Dr David Abdulai, thanked the organisers and participants for undertaking the exercise, noting that this would help keep the surroundings of the health facility clean.
He said the used clothing would be distributed to the patients of the clinic and people under his care, who numbered about 3000.
In a related development members of the Northern Drama and Film Makers Association (NORDRAFIM) have embarked on a clean-up and blood donation exercises at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). Reports Vincent Amenuveve.
They swept and weeded the premises of the hospital and cleared choked drains.
Forty out of the 628 members of NORDRAFIM volunteered and donated blood to the Blood Bank of the hospital.
The exercise formed part of the association’s social responsibility programme. It was organised with support from Zoomlion Ghana Limited and Water Sachet Producers in the metropolis.
Briefing the media on the exercise, the President of NORDRAFIM, Mr Zakaria Saaka, said the association had over the years engaged in educating residents of the metropolis and the entire region on social vices through drama and films.
According to him, the members have also tasked themselves to eradicate chieftaincy, political, religious and ethnic differences among residents to promote peace.
“We are also more than ready and intend to participate in any self-help project and I can stand here to boast our achievements in the reduction of child labour, HIV and AIDS and teenage pregnancy prevention and promotion of political tolerance,” he stated.
Mr Saaka further pointed out that as one of the major tools in communication, drama and film should not be under-rated but given the needed recognition.
“We have realised that for the past few months we have been experiencing fatal accidents on our roads and so this blood donation is to support the blood bank to enable the unit to save lives,” the President further explained.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe, thanked NORDRAFIM for the gesture and said the group was one of the best organised groups to undertake the exercise.
“I am happy about the turnout and I must say this is a good initiative that other social groups should emulate,” Dr Sagoe stated.
According to him, the combination of the clean-up and blood donation by the association was the first of its kind to be embarked upon by a single group.
Pictures 2;
MEETING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY...ITFC's shining example (PAGE 18, OCT 22 2010)
SOME companies in Tamale and the Northern Region in general can be mentioned when it comes to giving back to society part of the profits they make and one company that has carved a niche for itself in improving the welfare of inhabitants of its operational communities is the Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (ITFC), a subsidiary of Wienco Ghana Limited.
The company has made a conscious effort towards meeting its corporate social responsibility and this is largely due to the philosophy of its owner, Mr Henri Wientjes, that the improvement of the lives of people is the basis of business and not the opposite.
In 2004, the company introduced a project known as the Children to School Project (CTSP) to enable it to support children in deprived communities to pursue their education.
To achieve this goal, the ITFC set out to help sponsor teachers to teach in rural schools, provide accommodation for the teachers, institute a feeding programme for the children, and provide teaching and learning materials to the schools.
It also made efforts to improve the health of the children through regular health checks, provision of medication and the organisation of sporting activities to keep the children fit.
Today, the ITFC can pat itself on the shoulder following the successes it has chalked up by bringing smiles to children and families in rural areas through the CTSP, which has grown to become a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
The CTSP is currently sponsoring 11 teachers to teach voluntarily in four basic schools in four communities in the Savelugu/Nanton District that the ITFC has adopted. These are Dipali, Gushei, Tuunayili and Tiglasugu Tampia.
The Project Co-ordinator of the CTSP, Mr Baba Musah, told the Daily Graphic that four teacher’s bungalows had been put up under the project in the communities, with each bungalow having six rooms, a kitchen and bath and toilet.
He said in addition, the project had provided overhead tanks to all those bungalows and constantly supplied water to the tanks, explaining that “this is to encourage the teachers to deliver and not to cite the lack of accommodation or water as excuses to stay away from the rural areas.”
“Furthermore, regular training programmes are organised for the teachers to refresh their skills and increase their output,” he added.
Mr Musah said under the feeding programme, a nutritious hot meal was provided for each pupil in the four primary schools in the CTSP’s four adopted communities. He said the project paid eight cooks to oversee the feeding programme.
“For the health programme, a nurse has been employed by the CTSP to spearhead a health screening exercise in all four schools every two months. Those found to be ill are given medication and monitored to recover,” he stated.
The co-ordinator further mentioned that the CTSP had provided playgrounds to support recreational activities in the schools and had also donated assorted teaching and learning materials to enhance classroom activities.
He said because the CTSP had become an NGO, it had expanded its donor partners to include other organisations, but noted that the ITFC still sponsored about 80 per cent of all activities of the CTSP.
Meanwhile, aside all these achievements, the CTSP recently launched a scholarship programme to motivate children from the four communities to improve their performance.
The scholarship comes in two categories; the general and the competitive. Under the former, all schoolchildren transiting from primary to junior high school are given a support package that includes books, pens and pencils, school bags and T-shirts.
Under the competitive category, each year, two children, male and female, from each of the four communities who perform to meet a set target will be sponsored to pursue a SHS education.
Those beneficiaries who sustained or improved upon their performance would continue to receive sponsorship till they complete tertiary education.
The sponsorship involves payment of fees, provision of learning materials and pocket money for spending this is for children above the JSS level.
At the launch of the CTSP Scholarship Programme, the owner of Wienco Ghana Limited, Mr Henri Wientjes, said he would only be satisfied if the children utilised the scholarship and improved upon their performance.
He challenged the children not to let their deprivation limit them, but rather let it inspire them to reach greater heights.
The company has made a conscious effort towards meeting its corporate social responsibility and this is largely due to the philosophy of its owner, Mr Henri Wientjes, that the improvement of the lives of people is the basis of business and not the opposite.
In 2004, the company introduced a project known as the Children to School Project (CTSP) to enable it to support children in deprived communities to pursue their education.
To achieve this goal, the ITFC set out to help sponsor teachers to teach in rural schools, provide accommodation for the teachers, institute a feeding programme for the children, and provide teaching and learning materials to the schools.
It also made efforts to improve the health of the children through regular health checks, provision of medication and the organisation of sporting activities to keep the children fit.
Today, the ITFC can pat itself on the shoulder following the successes it has chalked up by bringing smiles to children and families in rural areas through the CTSP, which has grown to become a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
The CTSP is currently sponsoring 11 teachers to teach voluntarily in four basic schools in four communities in the Savelugu/Nanton District that the ITFC has adopted. These are Dipali, Gushei, Tuunayili and Tiglasugu Tampia.
The Project Co-ordinator of the CTSP, Mr Baba Musah, told the Daily Graphic that four teacher’s bungalows had been put up under the project in the communities, with each bungalow having six rooms, a kitchen and bath and toilet.
He said in addition, the project had provided overhead tanks to all those bungalows and constantly supplied water to the tanks, explaining that “this is to encourage the teachers to deliver and not to cite the lack of accommodation or water as excuses to stay away from the rural areas.”
“Furthermore, regular training programmes are organised for the teachers to refresh their skills and increase their output,” he added.
Mr Musah said under the feeding programme, a nutritious hot meal was provided for each pupil in the four primary schools in the CTSP’s four adopted communities. He said the project paid eight cooks to oversee the feeding programme.
“For the health programme, a nurse has been employed by the CTSP to spearhead a health screening exercise in all four schools every two months. Those found to be ill are given medication and monitored to recover,” he stated.
The co-ordinator further mentioned that the CTSP had provided playgrounds to support recreational activities in the schools and had also donated assorted teaching and learning materials to enhance classroom activities.
He said because the CTSP had become an NGO, it had expanded its donor partners to include other organisations, but noted that the ITFC still sponsored about 80 per cent of all activities of the CTSP.
Meanwhile, aside all these achievements, the CTSP recently launched a scholarship programme to motivate children from the four communities to improve their performance.
The scholarship comes in two categories; the general and the competitive. Under the former, all schoolchildren transiting from primary to junior high school are given a support package that includes books, pens and pencils, school bags and T-shirts.
Under the competitive category, each year, two children, male and female, from each of the four communities who perform to meet a set target will be sponsored to pursue a SHS education.
Those beneficiaries who sustained or improved upon their performance would continue to receive sponsorship till they complete tertiary education.
The sponsorship involves payment of fees, provision of learning materials and pocket money for spending this is for children above the JSS level.
At the launch of the CTSP Scholarship Programme, the owner of Wienco Ghana Limited, Mr Henri Wientjes, said he would only be satisfied if the children utilised the scholarship and improved upon their performance.
He challenged the children not to let their deprivation limit them, but rather let it inspire them to reach greater heights.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
WOMAN CONTESTS ASSEBLY ELECTIONS IN KULINKPEGU (PAGE 13, OCT 21, 2010)
AS government and civil society groups increase their efforts towards deepening women’s participation in governance, more rural women are gearing up to contest elections in the re-scheduled 2010 district assembly elections.
One of these courageous women is Ms Adam Abiba who hails from Kulinpkegu, a farming community in the Yendi municipality of the Northern Region.
Her candidature would make her the first woman in her area to contest the assembly elections to represent the Kalinkpegu Electoral Area since the assembly system commenced.
Ms Abiba is one of the beneficiaries of an European Union (EU) project known as Support for Women to Participate in Elections (SWOPE), which seeks to build the capacities of women to play a major part in local governance.
The project is being implemented by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) a network of organisations working in Northern Ghana.
As part of the implementation of the project, the GDCA organised a community durbar in Kalinpkegu to solicit support for female aspirants for the December 28, 2010 assembly elections.
Addressing the gathering, Ms Abiba noted that when elected into office her priority would be to work with the Assembly towards putting up a new school building for her community because the existing ones started collapsing a few years ago.
“The absence of a school block has affected primary education in our district as the children are compelled to sit under trees,” she stated.
Ms Abiba again mentioned that she would serve as a strong voice for her community at the assembly level and ensure that the area got a fair share of development projects, such as roads, schools, sanitation facilities and health centres.
She also indicated her desire to work hand in hand with the District Agricultural Directorate to address the challenges facing farmers in her electoral area, some of which include their inability to acquire inputs and storage facilities.
One of these courageous women is Ms Adam Abiba who hails from Kulinpkegu, a farming community in the Yendi municipality of the Northern Region.
Her candidature would make her the first woman in her area to contest the assembly elections to represent the Kalinkpegu Electoral Area since the assembly system commenced.
Ms Abiba is one of the beneficiaries of an European Union (EU) project known as Support for Women to Participate in Elections (SWOPE), which seeks to build the capacities of women to play a major part in local governance.
The project is being implemented by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) a network of organisations working in Northern Ghana.
As part of the implementation of the project, the GDCA organised a community durbar in Kalinpkegu to solicit support for female aspirants for the December 28, 2010 assembly elections.
Addressing the gathering, Ms Abiba noted that when elected into office her priority would be to work with the Assembly towards putting up a new school building for her community because the existing ones started collapsing a few years ago.
“The absence of a school block has affected primary education in our district as the children are compelled to sit under trees,” she stated.
Ms Abiba again mentioned that she would serve as a strong voice for her community at the assembly level and ensure that the area got a fair share of development projects, such as roads, schools, sanitation facilities and health centres.
She also indicated her desire to work hand in hand with the District Agricultural Directorate to address the challenges facing farmers in her electoral area, some of which include their inability to acquire inputs and storage facilities.
DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES URGED TO ESTABLISH RURAL BANKS (PAGE 13, OCT 21, 2010)
THE Co-ordinator of the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), Mr Roy Ayariga, has sugguested to all district assemblies in the Northern Region to consider initiating the establishment of rural banks in their districts.
According to him, the absence of rural banks in most districts in the three northern regions had become an obstacle to efforts being made to provide finance to smallholder farmers in the north.
He said most farmer groups and small businesses were unable to access finance at the district level because there were no financial institutions in those areas.
The co-ordinator was speaking at a forum in Tamale to sensitise farmers to the operations of the NRGP to build stronger partnerships with the farmers, who were representing various farmer groups in the Northern Region that had registered to benefit from the programme.
The NRGP is a $104 million agric support project being co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Ghana aimed at transforming agric in the three northern regions and parts of the Brong Ahafo Region.
Mr Ayariga noted that the need for the rural banks had arisen because the big commercial banks had not established branches in the rural areas, a situation put the inhabitants of such areas at a disadvantage when they have to access credits for business.
The Northern Region has a few rural banks which are concentrated in some parts of the region and they include; the Bonzali Rural Bank and Bangmarigu Community Bank and Borimanga Rural Bank.
Most of the districts in the Eastern corridor of the region have no rural banks and none of the big banks have opened any branches in these areas.
Mr Ayariga said this was not the situation in other regions, particularly the Upper East region, which had many rural banks to serve people in almost all the districts.
He mentioned, for instance, the Bessfa Rural Bank, which serves Garu-Tempani and Bawku, the Toende Rural Bank, which serves Bawku West, the Nara Rural Bank, which serves Kassena Nankana, Bolga and Tongo and the Builsa Community Bank, which covers the Builsa district.
The co-ordinator revealed that the NRGP was working with some financial non-governmental organisations to encourage them to open branches in rural areas.
He appealed to the commercial banks involved in micro-finance, such as the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Stanbic Bank and National Investment Bank (NIB) to open agencies in the various districts to enable the rural folk to have access to credit.
According to him, the absence of rural banks in most districts in the three northern regions had become an obstacle to efforts being made to provide finance to smallholder farmers in the north.
He said most farmer groups and small businesses were unable to access finance at the district level because there were no financial institutions in those areas.
The co-ordinator was speaking at a forum in Tamale to sensitise farmers to the operations of the NRGP to build stronger partnerships with the farmers, who were representing various farmer groups in the Northern Region that had registered to benefit from the programme.
The NRGP is a $104 million agric support project being co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Ghana aimed at transforming agric in the three northern regions and parts of the Brong Ahafo Region.
Mr Ayariga noted that the need for the rural banks had arisen because the big commercial banks had not established branches in the rural areas, a situation put the inhabitants of such areas at a disadvantage when they have to access credits for business.
The Northern Region has a few rural banks which are concentrated in some parts of the region and they include; the Bonzali Rural Bank and Bangmarigu Community Bank and Borimanga Rural Bank.
Most of the districts in the Eastern corridor of the region have no rural banks and none of the big banks have opened any branches in these areas.
Mr Ayariga said this was not the situation in other regions, particularly the Upper East region, which had many rural banks to serve people in almost all the districts.
He mentioned, for instance, the Bessfa Rural Bank, which serves Garu-Tempani and Bawku, the Toende Rural Bank, which serves Bawku West, the Nara Rural Bank, which serves Kassena Nankana, Bolga and Tongo and the Builsa Community Bank, which covers the Builsa district.
The co-ordinator revealed that the NRGP was working with some financial non-governmental organisations to encourage them to open branches in rural areas.
He appealed to the commercial banks involved in micro-finance, such as the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Stanbic Bank and National Investment Bank (NIB) to open agencies in the various districts to enable the rural folk to have access to credit.
FOUR PERSONS ACCUSED OF WITHCRAFT TO BE BANISHED? (PAGE 11, OCT 21, 2010)
FOUR persons, three women and a man, are likely to be banished from their communities in Tamale after a shrine claimed that they had used the powers of sorcery to harm some persons in Koblimahagu, a suburb of Tamale.
The four were among seven people who were accused of witchcraft and sent to a shrine in the Tolon-Kumbungu District, where they underwent rituals and declared guilty by the shrine.
The other three were exonerated.
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has confirmed to the Daily Graphic that it is investigating the matter and has promised to safeguard the rights of any individual who is likely to be abused.
Last week, five women were accused of inflicting a strange disease on four young men in Koblimahagu leading to the death of one of them. The deceased has been identified as Fuseini Neindow.
The women were also accused of planning to harm eight more people. These allegations were made by a spiritualist, known as ‘Jinwara’, in local parlance.
The matter later took a different twist when it was revealed that three men had earlier been accused of being behind those mysterious occurrences.
One of the accused is a resident of Jakarayili, also in Tamale, and this led to a confrontation between the residents of Jakarayili and Koblimahagu.
When the matter was brought before the Dakpema, an influential traditional leader in Tamale, he directed that the accused persons be made to go through the rituals to prove their innocence.
On Saturday, the accused persons, together with their accusers, were taken to the shrine by some elders from the Dakpema and Koblimahagu Chief’s palace and other opinion leaders to prove their innocence as tradition demands.
According to the Public Relations Officer for the Dakpema, Mr Abass Salifu, the shrine found the four persons guilty of possessing witchcraft powers and using them to harm others.
When questioned about the fate of those four persons, he said no decision had been taken yet, but noted that “usually when such revelations are made, the people in the community would say they can no more live together with these persons and therefore demand that they are ostracised.”
Mr Salifu, however, said the Dakpema had cautioned members of the community against maltreating the alleged witches and wizards.
He has also asked that the chief of Koblimahagu take the next decision as to the way forward.
There are six “witches camps” located at Gnani in the Yendi Municipality, Kukuo in the Nanumba South District, Bonyansi in the Central Gonja District, Gambaga in the East Mamprusi District and Naboli and Kpatinga both in the Gushiegu District.
Since 2006, Songtaba, a non-governmental organisation, together with its partners has been playing leading roles of working in these camps with the aim of empowering the alleged witches to live dignified lives and enjoy their respective basic rights including participating in the decision-making process in a violence-free environment.
The organisation, in collabora-tion with ActionAid Ghana, has drawn up a programme to work closely with the various district assemblies in the Northern Region where witches camps are located to effectively help and respond to the concerns of the alleged witches.
Dubbed “Exit Plan and Sustainability Strategy” the programme will be implemented between now and 2015, to help build the confidence of the alleged witches, mostly women and children who are confined to the six witches camps in the Northern Region. The non-governmental organisations are Songtaba and ActionAid.
As part of the programme, the two organisations will increase awareness of the women on their rights, as well as co-ordinate with the district assemblies to set up responsive budget to meet the social needs of the inmates in the short to medium term.
The promotion of a violence-free environment for children staying in the camps, as well as enjoying rights to education devoid of stigmatisation, will also be enhanced under the plan.
The four were among seven people who were accused of witchcraft and sent to a shrine in the Tolon-Kumbungu District, where they underwent rituals and declared guilty by the shrine.
The other three were exonerated.
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has confirmed to the Daily Graphic that it is investigating the matter and has promised to safeguard the rights of any individual who is likely to be abused.
Last week, five women were accused of inflicting a strange disease on four young men in Koblimahagu leading to the death of one of them. The deceased has been identified as Fuseini Neindow.
The women were also accused of planning to harm eight more people. These allegations were made by a spiritualist, known as ‘Jinwara’, in local parlance.
The matter later took a different twist when it was revealed that three men had earlier been accused of being behind those mysterious occurrences.
One of the accused is a resident of Jakarayili, also in Tamale, and this led to a confrontation between the residents of Jakarayili and Koblimahagu.
When the matter was brought before the Dakpema, an influential traditional leader in Tamale, he directed that the accused persons be made to go through the rituals to prove their innocence.
On Saturday, the accused persons, together with their accusers, were taken to the shrine by some elders from the Dakpema and Koblimahagu Chief’s palace and other opinion leaders to prove their innocence as tradition demands.
According to the Public Relations Officer for the Dakpema, Mr Abass Salifu, the shrine found the four persons guilty of possessing witchcraft powers and using them to harm others.
When questioned about the fate of those four persons, he said no decision had been taken yet, but noted that “usually when such revelations are made, the people in the community would say they can no more live together with these persons and therefore demand that they are ostracised.”
Mr Salifu, however, said the Dakpema had cautioned members of the community against maltreating the alleged witches and wizards.
He has also asked that the chief of Koblimahagu take the next decision as to the way forward.
There are six “witches camps” located at Gnani in the Yendi Municipality, Kukuo in the Nanumba South District, Bonyansi in the Central Gonja District, Gambaga in the East Mamprusi District and Naboli and Kpatinga both in the Gushiegu District.
Since 2006, Songtaba, a non-governmental organisation, together with its partners has been playing leading roles of working in these camps with the aim of empowering the alleged witches to live dignified lives and enjoy their respective basic rights including participating in the decision-making process in a violence-free environment.
The organisation, in collabora-tion with ActionAid Ghana, has drawn up a programme to work closely with the various district assemblies in the Northern Region where witches camps are located to effectively help and respond to the concerns of the alleged witches.
Dubbed “Exit Plan and Sustainability Strategy” the programme will be implemented between now and 2015, to help build the confidence of the alleged witches, mostly women and children who are confined to the six witches camps in the Northern Region. The non-governmental organisations are Songtaba and ActionAid.
As part of the programme, the two organisations will increase awareness of the women on their rights, as well as co-ordinate with the district assemblies to set up responsive budget to meet the social needs of the inmates in the short to medium term.
The promotion of a violence-free environment for children staying in the camps, as well as enjoying rights to education devoid of stigmatisation, will also be enhanced under the plan.
Monday, October 18, 2010
FLOODS SUBMERGE 55 COMMUNITIES (1B, OCT 18, 2010)
Fifty-five communities in the Central Gonja District in the Northern Region, including parts of the district capital, Buipe, have been submerged by flood water following the overflow of the Volta Lake on Saturday.
So far 25,000 people, mostly women and children, have been displaced by the floods, and 3,234 houses, including 50 school buildings, have either collapsed or been submerged.
As a result of the extensive damage, some of the schools in affected communities have been closed down temporarily.
The situation has compelled the people to resort to the use of canoes to commute in some of the communities while commercial activities have virtually come to a standstill because of the collapse of parts of the market at Buipe, which serves as the nerve centre of commercial activities.
Meanwhile, the Volta River Authority (VRA) has warned of further damage if people living around the perimeter of the Volta Lake fail to relocate to safer areas.
The VRA noted that this year, inflows into the Volta Lake had been above average and, therefore, the Akosombo Reservoir would rise to a level that had not been attained for the past 20 years.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Issifu Salisu Be-Awuribe, some personnel of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other officials visited some of the affected communities.
They described the situation as unbearable and sent an SOS message to development organisations, philanthropic institutions and corporate bodies to assist the district provide temporary accommodation to thousands of people whose houses had collapsed following the floods.
Mr Be-Awuribe said records at the moment showed that 25,112 people had been displaced while 3,234 houses had collapsed or had been submerged.
“We are under pressure to provide temporary living places for these displaced persons and this is a major challenge to the assembly,” he lamented.
The DCE expressed fears about the spread of diarrhoea diseases because of the poor sanitation prevalent in some of the flooded communities.
He also indicated that the floods had affected education in the district adversely because 50 school buildings had collapsed and this had led to the closure of some of the worst affected schools.
Mr Be-Awuribe further mentioned that the floods were having a heavy toll on food production as more than 23,588 acres of farmlands had been submerged leading to the destruction of food crops, while a large number of livestock had perished.
He observed that the district had never experienced such severity of floods and destruction close to two decades, hence his appeal to development organisations and philanthropic institutions to come to the aid of the district.
So far 25,000 people, mostly women and children, have been displaced by the floods, and 3,234 houses, including 50 school buildings, have either collapsed or been submerged.
As a result of the extensive damage, some of the schools in affected communities have been closed down temporarily.
The situation has compelled the people to resort to the use of canoes to commute in some of the communities while commercial activities have virtually come to a standstill because of the collapse of parts of the market at Buipe, which serves as the nerve centre of commercial activities.
Meanwhile, the Volta River Authority (VRA) has warned of further damage if people living around the perimeter of the Volta Lake fail to relocate to safer areas.
The VRA noted that this year, inflows into the Volta Lake had been above average and, therefore, the Akosombo Reservoir would rise to a level that had not been attained for the past 20 years.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Issifu Salisu Be-Awuribe, some personnel of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other officials visited some of the affected communities.
They described the situation as unbearable and sent an SOS message to development organisations, philanthropic institutions and corporate bodies to assist the district provide temporary accommodation to thousands of people whose houses had collapsed following the floods.
Mr Be-Awuribe said records at the moment showed that 25,112 people had been displaced while 3,234 houses had collapsed or had been submerged.
“We are under pressure to provide temporary living places for these displaced persons and this is a major challenge to the assembly,” he lamented.
The DCE expressed fears about the spread of diarrhoea diseases because of the poor sanitation prevalent in some of the flooded communities.
He also indicated that the floods had affected education in the district adversely because 50 school buildings had collapsed and this had led to the closure of some of the worst affected schools.
Mr Be-Awuribe further mentioned that the floods were having a heavy toll on food production as more than 23,588 acres of farmlands had been submerged leading to the destruction of food crops, while a large number of livestock had perished.
He observed that the district had never experienced such severity of floods and destruction close to two decades, hence his appeal to development organisations and philanthropic institutions to come to the aid of the district.
Friday, October 15, 2010
MEDIA, CSOs TO HIGHLIGHT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (PAGE 22, OCT 15, 2010)
CIVIL Society Organisations (CSOs) in the three Northern Regions have forged a partnership with the media to highlight environmental issues and advocate sustainable environmental practices.
Consequently, both parties would meet on a quarterly basis to identify emerging environmental threats or issues and analyse the state of implementation of interventions meant to address environmental challenges.
The partnership was formed at a three-day workshop organised by the Rural Media Network (RUMNET) with support from two other organisations.
The workshop sought to build the capacity of the journalists and CSOs to use effective advocacy tools to promote sustainable environmental management practices.
Both partners acknowledged that northern Ghana was more prone to the negative effects of climate change due to the high incidence of land degradation and the threat of desertification.
Activities such as surface mining, illegal logging, charcoal production, hazardous agronomic practices, wrongful use of agro-chemicals and bush burning have led to the destruction of the vegetation and biodiversity.
Again, agriculture in northern Ghana is rain-fed, therefore, any variations in rainfall and soil fertility could have adverse effects on the production of food, which would inevitably affect the livelihoods of many households whose mainstay is agriculture.
The media practitioners thus, pledged to give adequate attention to environmental issues, particularly those pertaining to the three northern regions by giving them prominence, enough space or airtime and regular featuring.
They also resolved to research, investigate and expose those negative practices, whilst advocating safe and sustainable environmental management practices such as the use of solar energy, organic manure and liquefied gas.
The CSOs, for their part, agreed to provide information on issues on the environment on a regular basis to the media practitioners to build their capacity to raise awareness about those issues.
Consequently, both parties would meet on a quarterly basis to identify emerging environmental threats or issues and analyse the state of implementation of interventions meant to address environmental challenges.
The partnership was formed at a three-day workshop organised by the Rural Media Network (RUMNET) with support from two other organisations.
The workshop sought to build the capacity of the journalists and CSOs to use effective advocacy tools to promote sustainable environmental management practices.
Both partners acknowledged that northern Ghana was more prone to the negative effects of climate change due to the high incidence of land degradation and the threat of desertification.
Activities such as surface mining, illegal logging, charcoal production, hazardous agronomic practices, wrongful use of agro-chemicals and bush burning have led to the destruction of the vegetation and biodiversity.
Again, agriculture in northern Ghana is rain-fed, therefore, any variations in rainfall and soil fertility could have adverse effects on the production of food, which would inevitably affect the livelihoods of many households whose mainstay is agriculture.
The media practitioners thus, pledged to give adequate attention to environmental issues, particularly those pertaining to the three northern regions by giving them prominence, enough space or airtime and regular featuring.
They also resolved to research, investigate and expose those negative practices, whilst advocating safe and sustainable environmental management practices such as the use of solar energy, organic manure and liquefied gas.
The CSOs, for their part, agreed to provide information on issues on the environment on a regular basis to the media practitioners to build their capacity to raise awareness about those issues.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
FIVE WOMEN ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT IN TAMALE (BACK PAGE, OCT 14, 2010)
FEAR has gripped the residents of Koblimahagu, a suburb of Tamale, following allegations that five women have used their sorcery powers to inflict a strange disease on four young men in the community and have pencilled in eight more people to be killed.
Already, one of the young men has died, while the other three are in critical condition. Of the three, one has a bloated stomach, while another is unable to eat or drink.
The five women, whose names have been withheld, have been held hostage by some youth in the area, who have resolved to take their captives to a shrine to undergo rituals to ascertain whether they are behind the calamity that has befallen the community or not.
The women, if pronounced guilty after the rituals, could suffer some mistreatment and face banishment from the community.
When the Daily Graphic visited the area, some residents had abandoned their homes for fear of becoming targets of the alleged witchcraft, while those who were still around said they had not been able to catch a sleep and had been congregating at the same point each night.
The entire drama began last week when two close friends were attacked by a strange disease around the same time, leading to the death of one of them, identified as Fuseini Niendow.
A third person, whose identity is yet to be revealed, had also fallen ill and been unable to take in any food or water.
The uncanny atmosphere sent chills through members of the community, leading to suspicions of witchcraft.
Last Tuesday, when the youth could no longer tolerate the situation, they massed up and marched to the palace of the Dakpema, a traditional leader in Tamale, to protest against the strange calamity that had struck the youth of their community.
They narrated the various incidents and said they suspected it was a ploy by some witches to destroy young people in the community who had prospered because all those affected were making progress in their respective endeavours.
The youth swore not to return to their community if the chief did not take some action to intervene and halt the strange phenomenon, claiming that any of them could be the next victim.
The Dakpema, Naa Mohammed Dawuni, calmed the youth down and sent a delegation to the community to meet with the people and ascertain the situation on the ground.
During the meeting, a spiritualist, known in local parlance as ‘Jinwara’, collapsed and began to make some revelations regarding the persons behind the strange happenings.
The spiritualist accused the five women of being behind the act and further revealed that they were preparing to bewitch eight other people, including the youth chief for the community.
Following those revelations, the Dakpema arranged to meet with the youth tomorrow to strategise on the way forward.
The Public Relations Officer for the Dakpema, Mr Abass Salifu, who is also a resident of Koblimahagu, said the youth had resolved to take the women to a shrine at Nawuni, a community in the Tolon/Kumbungu District, to undergo rituals to prove their innocence.
When contacted, the Northern Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Stephen Azantilow, said his office was yet to receive information on the plight of the women.
He, however, gave the assurance that CHRAJ would investigate the matter and, if confirmed, take some action to save the women.
Already, one of the young men has died, while the other three are in critical condition. Of the three, one has a bloated stomach, while another is unable to eat or drink.
The five women, whose names have been withheld, have been held hostage by some youth in the area, who have resolved to take their captives to a shrine to undergo rituals to ascertain whether they are behind the calamity that has befallen the community or not.
The women, if pronounced guilty after the rituals, could suffer some mistreatment and face banishment from the community.
When the Daily Graphic visited the area, some residents had abandoned their homes for fear of becoming targets of the alleged witchcraft, while those who were still around said they had not been able to catch a sleep and had been congregating at the same point each night.
The entire drama began last week when two close friends were attacked by a strange disease around the same time, leading to the death of one of them, identified as Fuseini Niendow.
A third person, whose identity is yet to be revealed, had also fallen ill and been unable to take in any food or water.
The uncanny atmosphere sent chills through members of the community, leading to suspicions of witchcraft.
Last Tuesday, when the youth could no longer tolerate the situation, they massed up and marched to the palace of the Dakpema, a traditional leader in Tamale, to protest against the strange calamity that had struck the youth of their community.
They narrated the various incidents and said they suspected it was a ploy by some witches to destroy young people in the community who had prospered because all those affected were making progress in their respective endeavours.
The youth swore not to return to their community if the chief did not take some action to intervene and halt the strange phenomenon, claiming that any of them could be the next victim.
The Dakpema, Naa Mohammed Dawuni, calmed the youth down and sent a delegation to the community to meet with the people and ascertain the situation on the ground.
During the meeting, a spiritualist, known in local parlance as ‘Jinwara’, collapsed and began to make some revelations regarding the persons behind the strange happenings.
The spiritualist accused the five women of being behind the act and further revealed that they were preparing to bewitch eight other people, including the youth chief for the community.
Following those revelations, the Dakpema arranged to meet with the youth tomorrow to strategise on the way forward.
The Public Relations Officer for the Dakpema, Mr Abass Salifu, who is also a resident of Koblimahagu, said the youth had resolved to take the women to a shrine at Nawuni, a community in the Tolon/Kumbungu District, to undergo rituals to prove their innocence.
When contacted, the Northern Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Stephen Azantilow, said his office was yet to receive information on the plight of the women.
He, however, gave the assurance that CHRAJ would investigate the matter and, if confirmed, take some action to save the women.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
CENTRAL GONJA TAKES MEASURES TO RAISE EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS (PAGE 35, OCT 14, 2010)
THE Central Gonja District Assembly in the Northern Region has taken realistic measures to improve the quality of education at the basic level in the district.
This followed the repeated abysmal performance of its candidates in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) over the past few years.
Last year, 64 per cent of the candidates, who sat for the BECE in the district, failed to make the required grades.
In 2008, 65 per cent of the candidates failed and this has been the trend for over four years now.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Issifu Salifu Be-Awuribe, announced measures that had been taken to reverse the trend when he addressed the second ordinary meeting of the assembly this year at Buipe.
The measures include expanding the existing infrastructure, making available more teachers and motivating the students to improve upon their performance.
The DCE said under the Northern Region Poverty Reduction Programme (NORPREP), three-unit classroom blocks were being constructed in five communities, namely Kpejipe, Jukuku, Yala, Kokope and Chama.
Mr Be-Awuribe stated that under the District Wide Assistance Programme (DWAP), the district was putting up three-unit classroom blocks with four-unit KVIP toilets and urinals attached at three different communities. They are Kokope, Bolamposo and Galinzegu.
Mr Be-Awuribe said under the same DWAP, the Mankan and Old Buipe communities were also benefiting from three-unit classroom blocks in addition to four-unit teachers’ quarters.
As a measure of increasing the number of teachers in the district, the DCE said the assembly was considering implementing the Rural Volunteer Teaching Programme, which would bring on board at least 50 volunteer teachers to assist the professional teachers.
He said already, the district was sponsoring a number of teacher trainees who had been bonded to serve the district after graduation.
Mr Be-Awuribe said in order to encourage the students to learn hard and pass their BECE, the assembly had approved a three-year sponsorship award package for the best male and female students who qualify for senior high schools.
This followed the repeated abysmal performance of its candidates in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) over the past few years.
Last year, 64 per cent of the candidates, who sat for the BECE in the district, failed to make the required grades.
In 2008, 65 per cent of the candidates failed and this has been the trend for over four years now.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Issifu Salifu Be-Awuribe, announced measures that had been taken to reverse the trend when he addressed the second ordinary meeting of the assembly this year at Buipe.
The measures include expanding the existing infrastructure, making available more teachers and motivating the students to improve upon their performance.
The DCE said under the Northern Region Poverty Reduction Programme (NORPREP), three-unit classroom blocks were being constructed in five communities, namely Kpejipe, Jukuku, Yala, Kokope and Chama.
Mr Be-Awuribe stated that under the District Wide Assistance Programme (DWAP), the district was putting up three-unit classroom blocks with four-unit KVIP toilets and urinals attached at three different communities. They are Kokope, Bolamposo and Galinzegu.
Mr Be-Awuribe said under the same DWAP, the Mankan and Old Buipe communities were also benefiting from three-unit classroom blocks in addition to four-unit teachers’ quarters.
As a measure of increasing the number of teachers in the district, the DCE said the assembly was considering implementing the Rural Volunteer Teaching Programme, which would bring on board at least 50 volunteer teachers to assist the professional teachers.
He said already, the district was sponsoring a number of teacher trainees who had been bonded to serve the district after graduation.
Mr Be-Awuribe said in order to encourage the students to learn hard and pass their BECE, the assembly had approved a three-year sponsorship award package for the best male and female students who qualify for senior high schools.
COMPANY ESTABLISHES FOREST PLANTATION AT PONGTASS (PAGE 35, OCT 14, 2010)
WIENCO Ghana Limited, a leading agricultural company in the country, is establishing a 16.5 acre forest plantation at the Pong-Tamale Senior High School (PONGTASS) in the Savelugu-Nanton District in the Northern Region.
A total of 3,100 tree crop seedlings made up of 2,200 casia, 500 Mahogany and 400 mangoes are to be raised in the plantation.
The establishment of the plantation forms part of activities to mark Wienco Ghana’s 30 years anniversary celebration, which is on the theme: “Celebrating 30 years of sustainable agriculture”.
At a ceremony to kick-start the planting exercise at PONGTASS, Mr James Amaligo, the Assistant General Manager of the Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (ITFC), one of the subsidiaries of Wienco, stated that the plantation would be of immense help to the school and community if properly managed.
“When the seedlings mature into trees, the casia and Mahogany trees would serve as wind brakes and supply fuel wood for the community,” he said.
Mr Amaligo stated that the mango trees would also bear fruits which would be sold by the school to earn some proceeds to finance the expansion of infrastructure and the provision of teaching and learning materials.
Mr Amaligo said Wienco Ghana chose PONGTASS for the afforestation project because the school was located near a valley and was thus exposed to strong winds.
He said aside that, the school’s management had shown much interest in establishing a plantation, adding that Wienco Ghana would continue to provide more seedlings if the school managed the plantation successfully.
The Headmaster of PONGTASS, Alhaji Mohammed Gombila, commended Wienco Ghana for choosing to plant the trees in the school.
He said the school had a plan of establishing a plantation, but could not marshal the resources to do so.
Alhaji Gombila gave the assurance that the school would take proper care of the seedlings to ensure its growth.
Meanwhile, the tree planting exercise is being replicated in other parts of the country in partnership with Wienco Ghana’s subsidiaries, which are the Volta River Estates Limited, Wienco Fibres Limited, Cocoa Abrabopa and Masara N’Arziki.
A total of 3,100 tree crop seedlings made up of 2,200 casia, 500 Mahogany and 400 mangoes are to be raised in the plantation.
The establishment of the plantation forms part of activities to mark Wienco Ghana’s 30 years anniversary celebration, which is on the theme: “Celebrating 30 years of sustainable agriculture”.
At a ceremony to kick-start the planting exercise at PONGTASS, Mr James Amaligo, the Assistant General Manager of the Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (ITFC), one of the subsidiaries of Wienco, stated that the plantation would be of immense help to the school and community if properly managed.
“When the seedlings mature into trees, the casia and Mahogany trees would serve as wind brakes and supply fuel wood for the community,” he said.
Mr Amaligo stated that the mango trees would also bear fruits which would be sold by the school to earn some proceeds to finance the expansion of infrastructure and the provision of teaching and learning materials.
Mr Amaligo said Wienco Ghana chose PONGTASS for the afforestation project because the school was located near a valley and was thus exposed to strong winds.
He said aside that, the school’s management had shown much interest in establishing a plantation, adding that Wienco Ghana would continue to provide more seedlings if the school managed the plantation successfully.
The Headmaster of PONGTASS, Alhaji Mohammed Gombila, commended Wienco Ghana for choosing to plant the trees in the school.
He said the school had a plan of establishing a plantation, but could not marshal the resources to do so.
Alhaji Gombila gave the assurance that the school would take proper care of the seedlings to ensure its growth.
Meanwhile, the tree planting exercise is being replicated in other parts of the country in partnership with Wienco Ghana’s subsidiaries, which are the Volta River Estates Limited, Wienco Fibres Limited, Cocoa Abrabopa and Masara N’Arziki.
SECRET RECORDINGS AND JOURNALISM ETHICS, THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS (PAGE 21, OCT 14, 2010)
ETHICS are principles that have been agreed by a group of people or professional body regarding what is right or wrong about their actions. It is largely about morality and virtues.
So, ethics are not rules that must be followed strictly, whereby failure to do so could attract punishment. Ethics simply provide a general framework to guide the conduct of professionals.
However, in real life situation, human endeavour sometimes calls for actions, which may be considered unethical, but result-oriented.
The use of secret recordings, either through tape or filming, and other subterfuge methods of gathering information by journalists is one of those thorny ethical issues that has attracted the Ghanaian public’s attention in recent times.
This is largely due to Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ secret filming on happenings at the Osu Children’s Home and the emerging story about an alleged airplay of a secret recording of Ebo Quansah’s conversation with a colleague whiles they were at the Accra International Press Centre.
These two events, particularly the latter, have led to people raising concerns over the abuse of people’s right to privacy and its impact on the wellbeing of society.
Some commentators have even suggested that the use of secret recordings by journalists creates a society of fear, where everybody is thinking that ‘big brother’ is watching over us all.
To quote Mr Larweh Therson-Cofie, in his article “The Age of Orwellian Journalism” published in the Daily Graphic of October 7, 2010, page 21: “Unapproved methods, such as use of spying and detective techniques must be avoided. Use of such methods erodes the confidence and trust that society has reposed in journalists and breeds fear and suspicion.”
He even suggests to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) not to give recognition to investigative journalists who employ such methods, though he does not mention to what end.
Before I proceed to digest the issue regarding the usage of secret recordings by journalists, I need to allay the fear of my readers that they should not be anxious about secret recordings if they have no cobwebs in their wardrobes.
Secret recordings reveal what people do without knowing they are being recorded. So, in actual fact, secret recordings mostly tell the actual attitude of a person and therefore if your ways are not crooked, you should not fear if secret cameras have been placed in your house to film every move of yours.
This method of gathering information has existed for several years now and would continue, particularly in today’s technologically-enhanced world.
Again, there is the need to mention that many crimes are committed in secret, because that is when people feel they are not being monitored or would not be exposed. So in the name of privacy, people do the wrong things.
Now to the substantive matter, the issue of whether secret recordings are justified or appropriate in journalism brings us to the debate in philosophy as to the whether the end justifies the means or the opposite.
Some philosophers hold the opinion that the end result of an endeavour could erase any criticism about the process. For instance, there are laws that guide against illegal arrests, but those same laws make room for illegal arrests in matters where it is the only way to pick up a target, as is done in police swoops.
It is the same in journalism. Though the profession’s code of ethics, both international and local, frowns against secret recordings, there are circumstances where a secret recording is what is needed to expose a wrong and save society.
That is why, even though the 1992 Constitution has laws to protect people’s right to privacy, it also makes provision for invasion of such privacy with enough justification.
For instance, article 18 (2) of the Constitution states: “No person shall be subjected to interference with the privacy of his home, property, correspondence or communication except in accordance with law and as may be necessary in a free and democratic society for public safety or the economic wellbeing of the country, for the protection of health or morals, for the prevention of disorder or crime or for the protection of the rights or freedoms of others.
Indeed, one of the cardinal roles of journalists is to expose crimes by playing a watchdog role on governments and society in general. So, there are situations when it becomes prudent for a journalist to use spy methods to expose a crime for the public’s good.
The exposure may reveal various things: an intention to commit crime, a confession of a crime already committed or the process of committing a crime.
Therefore, assuming Anas’ secret recording of activities at the Osu Children’s Home was intended to expose the abuse of children, mismanagement and corruption, then the method could be justified.
What would the alternative have been as is being suggested that journalist must use approved methods. Should he have gone there to introduce himself formally and state his intention? Or he should have gone there with his camera shooting in the full view of the public.
I therefore found it amusing for the Social Welfare Director to claim that he had been to the orphanage on several occasions and seen nothing wrong at the home. How does he expect wrong to be committed is his presence, or when word goes round that he is coming.
Also, the alleged recording of Ebo Quansah’s conversation could not be faulted if the intention of the person behind it was to expose a wrong that Ebo Quansah, a renowned journalist, was allegedly engaged in. Sometimes, people expose themselves in their speech through phone calls, phone messages, emails or man-to-man talk.
Indeed, there are countless examples of how secret recordings have been used to expose crime and punish the perpetrators. The Watergate Scandal is a classical example, where secret recordings of conversations of the 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon exposed his involvement in a crime and this led to his resignation, the only resignation ever by a US President.
Now back to the philosophers’ debate. The other group hold the opinion that the processes used to achieve an end is as important as the end. Thus, if one wants to know the HIV status of a partner and has to take the blood of the partner secretly for testing, though in the end, the desire of knowing the status of the partner would be achieved, the process used would be criminal and unacceptable.
Similarly, in journalism, secret recording, though appropriate to achieve an end, could be faulted. That is, when the person undertaking this recording fails to justify the use of the method.
In other words, the only thing that can save a person from punishment for using secret recording is to show evidence of how important the objective behind the act of recording secretly was to the public interest.
So, if the content of a secret recording undertaken by a journalist fails to produce the result for which it was undertaken, then the journalist must be wise enough to destroy the recording, because the law would not pardon him or her because of his good intentions.
Therefore, if the alleged recording of Ebo Quansah’s conversation with his friend did not expose any wrong, then it should not have been brought to the public domain.
For instance, Ebo Quansah may have expressed his opinion on a matter, but that does not make his actions criminal. So, Ebo Quansah would be rightly placed to press charges against all those involved in the recording and broadcasting.
Another caution is that, the way and manner a secret recording is done could also be punished irrespective of the end results. For instance, if one uses children to carry secret cameras, he or she may have issues with the law.
This is because it puts the child’s safety at risk. If the camera or tape was found on the child, some mistreatment could be meted out on the child.
Also, the content of a secret recording could be disputed and described as a frame up if the one with the camera plays a part in the content of the recording. His or her actions could be described as pre-conditioned and might have influenced the other(s) to act in a negative way just to set that person or group up.
To sum it up, secret recordings are not wrong in themselves, but the way and manner they are done and the intentions behind it are what is critical to justify their usage.
Let us be careful not to discourage hardworking investigative journalist who have risked their lives to expose the rot in our society.
So, ethics are not rules that must be followed strictly, whereby failure to do so could attract punishment. Ethics simply provide a general framework to guide the conduct of professionals.
However, in real life situation, human endeavour sometimes calls for actions, which may be considered unethical, but result-oriented.
The use of secret recordings, either through tape or filming, and other subterfuge methods of gathering information by journalists is one of those thorny ethical issues that has attracted the Ghanaian public’s attention in recent times.
This is largely due to Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ secret filming on happenings at the Osu Children’s Home and the emerging story about an alleged airplay of a secret recording of Ebo Quansah’s conversation with a colleague whiles they were at the Accra International Press Centre.
These two events, particularly the latter, have led to people raising concerns over the abuse of people’s right to privacy and its impact on the wellbeing of society.
Some commentators have even suggested that the use of secret recordings by journalists creates a society of fear, where everybody is thinking that ‘big brother’ is watching over us all.
To quote Mr Larweh Therson-Cofie, in his article “The Age of Orwellian Journalism” published in the Daily Graphic of October 7, 2010, page 21: “Unapproved methods, such as use of spying and detective techniques must be avoided. Use of such methods erodes the confidence and trust that society has reposed in journalists and breeds fear and suspicion.”
He even suggests to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) not to give recognition to investigative journalists who employ such methods, though he does not mention to what end.
Before I proceed to digest the issue regarding the usage of secret recordings by journalists, I need to allay the fear of my readers that they should not be anxious about secret recordings if they have no cobwebs in their wardrobes.
Secret recordings reveal what people do without knowing they are being recorded. So, in actual fact, secret recordings mostly tell the actual attitude of a person and therefore if your ways are not crooked, you should not fear if secret cameras have been placed in your house to film every move of yours.
This method of gathering information has existed for several years now and would continue, particularly in today’s technologically-enhanced world.
Again, there is the need to mention that many crimes are committed in secret, because that is when people feel they are not being monitored or would not be exposed. So in the name of privacy, people do the wrong things.
Now to the substantive matter, the issue of whether secret recordings are justified or appropriate in journalism brings us to the debate in philosophy as to the whether the end justifies the means or the opposite.
Some philosophers hold the opinion that the end result of an endeavour could erase any criticism about the process. For instance, there are laws that guide against illegal arrests, but those same laws make room for illegal arrests in matters where it is the only way to pick up a target, as is done in police swoops.
It is the same in journalism. Though the profession’s code of ethics, both international and local, frowns against secret recordings, there are circumstances where a secret recording is what is needed to expose a wrong and save society.
That is why, even though the 1992 Constitution has laws to protect people’s right to privacy, it also makes provision for invasion of such privacy with enough justification.
For instance, article 18 (2) of the Constitution states: “No person shall be subjected to interference with the privacy of his home, property, correspondence or communication except in accordance with law and as may be necessary in a free and democratic society for public safety or the economic wellbeing of the country, for the protection of health or morals, for the prevention of disorder or crime or for the protection of the rights or freedoms of others.
Indeed, one of the cardinal roles of journalists is to expose crimes by playing a watchdog role on governments and society in general. So, there are situations when it becomes prudent for a journalist to use spy methods to expose a crime for the public’s good.
The exposure may reveal various things: an intention to commit crime, a confession of a crime already committed or the process of committing a crime.
Therefore, assuming Anas’ secret recording of activities at the Osu Children’s Home was intended to expose the abuse of children, mismanagement and corruption, then the method could be justified.
What would the alternative have been as is being suggested that journalist must use approved methods. Should he have gone there to introduce himself formally and state his intention? Or he should have gone there with his camera shooting in the full view of the public.
I therefore found it amusing for the Social Welfare Director to claim that he had been to the orphanage on several occasions and seen nothing wrong at the home. How does he expect wrong to be committed is his presence, or when word goes round that he is coming.
Also, the alleged recording of Ebo Quansah’s conversation could not be faulted if the intention of the person behind it was to expose a wrong that Ebo Quansah, a renowned journalist, was allegedly engaged in. Sometimes, people expose themselves in their speech through phone calls, phone messages, emails or man-to-man talk.
Indeed, there are countless examples of how secret recordings have been used to expose crime and punish the perpetrators. The Watergate Scandal is a classical example, where secret recordings of conversations of the 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon exposed his involvement in a crime and this led to his resignation, the only resignation ever by a US President.
Now back to the philosophers’ debate. The other group hold the opinion that the processes used to achieve an end is as important as the end. Thus, if one wants to know the HIV status of a partner and has to take the blood of the partner secretly for testing, though in the end, the desire of knowing the status of the partner would be achieved, the process used would be criminal and unacceptable.
Similarly, in journalism, secret recording, though appropriate to achieve an end, could be faulted. That is, when the person undertaking this recording fails to justify the use of the method.
In other words, the only thing that can save a person from punishment for using secret recording is to show evidence of how important the objective behind the act of recording secretly was to the public interest.
So, if the content of a secret recording undertaken by a journalist fails to produce the result for which it was undertaken, then the journalist must be wise enough to destroy the recording, because the law would not pardon him or her because of his good intentions.
Therefore, if the alleged recording of Ebo Quansah’s conversation with his friend did not expose any wrong, then it should not have been brought to the public domain.
For instance, Ebo Quansah may have expressed his opinion on a matter, but that does not make his actions criminal. So, Ebo Quansah would be rightly placed to press charges against all those involved in the recording and broadcasting.
Another caution is that, the way and manner a secret recording is done could also be punished irrespective of the end results. For instance, if one uses children to carry secret cameras, he or she may have issues with the law.
This is because it puts the child’s safety at risk. If the camera or tape was found on the child, some mistreatment could be meted out on the child.
Also, the content of a secret recording could be disputed and described as a frame up if the one with the camera plays a part in the content of the recording. His or her actions could be described as pre-conditioned and might have influenced the other(s) to act in a negative way just to set that person or group up.
To sum it up, secret recordings are not wrong in themselves, but the way and manner they are done and the intentions behind it are what is critical to justify their usage.
Let us be careful not to discourage hardworking investigative journalist who have risked their lives to expose the rot in our society.
ACP ANGWUBUTOGE AWUNI, THE ALL-ROUND POLICEMAN (PAGE 35, OCT 14, 2010)
ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police (ACP) Angwubutoge Awuni’s transfer to the Northern Region in early 2009 revived the police service in the region and instilled more professionalism and sense of duty among the personnel.
It was an era of proactive policing that transformed the face of law enforcement in the region and raised the sinking image of the service.
Today, ACP Angwubutoge Awuni’s romance with the Northern Region has come to an end after a 16-month successful tenure as the Northern Regional Police Commander.
Recently, the Ghana Police Service announced some changes in the police administration, one of which was the transfer of ACP Awuni from the Northern Region to the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra.
This shocking news could not just pass without comments, in view of the fact that Awuni’s style of policing had contributed significantly to the stability enjoyed in the region, and therefore, many people had hoped that this fine sheriff would be made to remain a little longer.
All in all, he is gone and one cannot continue to lament over spilt milk. However, Mr Awuni has left his footsteps in the fine sands of the Savannah and therefore, one cannot resist the temptation of telling his story.
This was a police officer who exhibited a no-nonsense attitude towards crime, a situation which ensured that law and order were enforced at all times. He was the type who would insist that the right things are done irrespective of pressures from all quarters.
ACP Awuni also portrayed a high sense of objectivity in performing his duties and that endeared him to many people, particularly people in the opposition political parties, who had the belief that on no account would crime be allowed to go unpunished for political reasons.
This attitude of Mr Awuni therefore, instilled in the public some confidence in the police service, which contributed partly to the peace enjoyed in the region during his tenure.
The conduct of the police at the Chereponi by-election was one of the landmarks of Awuni’s administration that can never be erased. Under the direction of ACP Awuni, the police mounted a search on all persons who attempted to move into the constituency prior to and during the election. Even the political leaders were not spared.
The objective of that action was to ensure that no person or group smuggled weapons into the area to disturb the peace.
Again, the arrest of the notorious armed robber Joseph Kombien, alias Bogger, who had broken jail on a number of occasions, at Nakpanduri is another achievement of Awuni’s administration.
On assumption of office, ACP Awuni visited the Nakpanduri area and ordered the police to devise all means possible to bring Bogger to his knees.
On hearing that, Bogger escaped to the Upper East Region but that could not save him, as he was hunted and brought to book through the support of the police in that region.
It must be noted, however, that after his arrest, Bogger managed to escape once more from the Tamale Central Prison where he had been remanded. To date, he is still at large.
To manage a culturally sensitive and diverse area such as the Northern Region, one needed to master the skills of fostering good relationship with all groups and win their support. ACP Awuni never failed to do that and did it perfectly.
He made sure he visited the chiefs who mattered most and craved their indulgence to support his mission. Little wonder on countless occasions, some of the chiefs refused to intervene to free some persons who had been arrested for committing various crimes.
Indeed, ACP Awuni could not have chalked up those successes without dedicated staff. One of his notable traits was his ability to inspire his personnel to move in the same direction with him.
ACP Awuni visited his personnel at the various districts periodically, interacted with them to understand their problems and work with the appropriate authorities to resolve such challenges.
ACP Awuni’s exemplary leadership might have also contributed to the positive influence he had on his personnel. He detested corruption, mediocrity and negligence.
On ACP Awuni’s romance with the media, one can write volumes till there is no more space. Being a member of the inky fraternity, ACP Awuni had such a symbiotic relationship with the media that anytime he called on them, they were quick to respond. His house and office were both open to the media at all times.
For now, all one can say to Mr Awuni is ‘Ni a tuma pam’, which means well done in the Dagomba dialect, and may he excel in his new endeavour.
It was an era of proactive policing that transformed the face of law enforcement in the region and raised the sinking image of the service.
Today, ACP Angwubutoge Awuni’s romance with the Northern Region has come to an end after a 16-month successful tenure as the Northern Regional Police Commander.
Recently, the Ghana Police Service announced some changes in the police administration, one of which was the transfer of ACP Awuni from the Northern Region to the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra.
This shocking news could not just pass without comments, in view of the fact that Awuni’s style of policing had contributed significantly to the stability enjoyed in the region, and therefore, many people had hoped that this fine sheriff would be made to remain a little longer.
All in all, he is gone and one cannot continue to lament over spilt milk. However, Mr Awuni has left his footsteps in the fine sands of the Savannah and therefore, one cannot resist the temptation of telling his story.
This was a police officer who exhibited a no-nonsense attitude towards crime, a situation which ensured that law and order were enforced at all times. He was the type who would insist that the right things are done irrespective of pressures from all quarters.
ACP Awuni also portrayed a high sense of objectivity in performing his duties and that endeared him to many people, particularly people in the opposition political parties, who had the belief that on no account would crime be allowed to go unpunished for political reasons.
This attitude of Mr Awuni therefore, instilled in the public some confidence in the police service, which contributed partly to the peace enjoyed in the region during his tenure.
The conduct of the police at the Chereponi by-election was one of the landmarks of Awuni’s administration that can never be erased. Under the direction of ACP Awuni, the police mounted a search on all persons who attempted to move into the constituency prior to and during the election. Even the political leaders were not spared.
The objective of that action was to ensure that no person or group smuggled weapons into the area to disturb the peace.
Again, the arrest of the notorious armed robber Joseph Kombien, alias Bogger, who had broken jail on a number of occasions, at Nakpanduri is another achievement of Awuni’s administration.
On assumption of office, ACP Awuni visited the Nakpanduri area and ordered the police to devise all means possible to bring Bogger to his knees.
On hearing that, Bogger escaped to the Upper East Region but that could not save him, as he was hunted and brought to book through the support of the police in that region.
It must be noted, however, that after his arrest, Bogger managed to escape once more from the Tamale Central Prison where he had been remanded. To date, he is still at large.
To manage a culturally sensitive and diverse area such as the Northern Region, one needed to master the skills of fostering good relationship with all groups and win their support. ACP Awuni never failed to do that and did it perfectly.
He made sure he visited the chiefs who mattered most and craved their indulgence to support his mission. Little wonder on countless occasions, some of the chiefs refused to intervene to free some persons who had been arrested for committing various crimes.
Indeed, ACP Awuni could not have chalked up those successes without dedicated staff. One of his notable traits was his ability to inspire his personnel to move in the same direction with him.
ACP Awuni visited his personnel at the various districts periodically, interacted with them to understand their problems and work with the appropriate authorities to resolve such challenges.
ACP Awuni’s exemplary leadership might have also contributed to the positive influence he had on his personnel. He detested corruption, mediocrity and negligence.
On ACP Awuni’s romance with the media, one can write volumes till there is no more space. Being a member of the inky fraternity, ACP Awuni had such a symbiotic relationship with the media that anytime he called on them, they were quick to respond. His house and office were both open to the media at all times.
For now, all one can say to Mr Awuni is ‘Ni a tuma pam’, which means well done in the Dagomba dialect, and may he excel in his new endeavour.
DANISH GOVT SUPPORTS CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT (PAGE 23, OCT 14, 2010)
THE Government of Denmark has provided a grant of $40,000 through its Danish Centre for Cultural Development to support the development of culture in the Tamale Metropolis.
The funds would be used to implement a two-year project that would involve the teaching and learning of Northern cultural dance and drumming in five selected basic schools in Tamale.
This is aimed at grooming the children to appreciate their culture and master the skills of drumming and dancing which are two distinct aspects of Ghanaian culture.
The project, which was launched during the week, is the brainchild of the Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG) in Tamale and would be implemented by the group in partnership with the Egedal School of Music in Denmark.
Under the project, two cultural instructors would be attached to each of the beneficiary schools to teach the children some traditional drumming and dances such as ‘tora’, ‘bamaya’ and ‘jera’.
The schools are the Tiyumba, Ridge, Presbyterian, Seventh-Day Adventist and Evangelical Presbyterian basic schools. A number of traditional musical instruments and costumes were presented to the schools to facilitate the implementation of the project.
The Director of YHCG, Mr Abdul-Rahaman Takoro, said the project focused on children because the preservation of Ghanaian culture depended largely on how well it had been imparted to the young ones.
He said several aspects of Ghanaian culture faced extinction, following the failure of the older generation to preserve them and transfer them to the young ones and added that the project would attempt to address this challenge.
Mr Takoro said the YHCG had been promoting cultural activities to revive the country’s dying culture and commended the Ghana Cultural Fund for supporting some of these activities.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) for Tamale, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, commended the Danish government for its support in promoting Ghanaian culture.
The funds would be used to implement a two-year project that would involve the teaching and learning of Northern cultural dance and drumming in five selected basic schools in Tamale.
This is aimed at grooming the children to appreciate their culture and master the skills of drumming and dancing which are two distinct aspects of Ghanaian culture.
The project, which was launched during the week, is the brainchild of the Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG) in Tamale and would be implemented by the group in partnership with the Egedal School of Music in Denmark.
Under the project, two cultural instructors would be attached to each of the beneficiary schools to teach the children some traditional drumming and dances such as ‘tora’, ‘bamaya’ and ‘jera’.
The schools are the Tiyumba, Ridge, Presbyterian, Seventh-Day Adventist and Evangelical Presbyterian basic schools. A number of traditional musical instruments and costumes were presented to the schools to facilitate the implementation of the project.
The Director of YHCG, Mr Abdul-Rahaman Takoro, said the project focused on children because the preservation of Ghanaian culture depended largely on how well it had been imparted to the young ones.
He said several aspects of Ghanaian culture faced extinction, following the failure of the older generation to preserve them and transfer them to the young ones and added that the project would attempt to address this challenge.
Mr Takoro said the YHCG had been promoting cultural activities to revive the country’s dying culture and commended the Ghana Cultural Fund for supporting some of these activities.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) for Tamale, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, commended the Danish government for its support in promoting Ghanaian culture.
PTRONISE MASS NHIS REGISTRATION — MABENGBA (PAGE 23, OCT 14. 2010)
THE Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Mabengba, has entreated residents of Tamale to patronise the mass registration exercise being undertaken by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
He said people’s failure to plan for their health needs contributed partly to their low standard of living.
“When you fall sick and you cannot pay for health care, your health deteriorates, you are incapacitated from working and your poverty is deepened,” the minister stated, adding that nobody could tell when he or she would fall sick.
Mr Mabengba made these remarks when he and other officials of the NHIA toured various places in the Tamale metropolis where the mass registration was ongoing.
He visited the Ambarriyya and Tamale Central mosques, where many residents had turned up to be captured under the scheme, and donated GH¢200 to support the exercise.
The Minister said the mass registration was an opportunity that the NHIA had offered Ghanaians to ensure that they were captured under the scheme without having to go through any cumbersome processes.
“The registration exercise has been brought to your doorsteps, so that you are spared the ordeal of having to transport yourselves to the schemes offices. So you have no excuse not to register,” he stated.
Mr Mabengba asked the residents not to cite the registration fee as a hindrance, noting that “you would pay ten times more if you were to go through the cash and carry system, especially if you are the type who falls sick regularly.”
He said the government was very committed to enhancing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) because the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was running a people-centred government.
“You are aware that this government is putting in place mechanisms to make the premium payment onetime. This would ensure that you save the monies that you would have used to pay the premium each year to cater for other needs,” he further stated.
The Deputy Director of Operations at the NHIA, Mr Anthony Gingong, said the NHIA had adopted an aggressive strategy to get more Ghanaians registered under the scheme.
“We want to improve upon what we came to meet so as to ensure that the health needs of Ghanaians are adequately addressed,” he stated.
Mr Gingong said aside the mass registration, the NHIA was implementing some reforms to better the administration of health insurance in all the districts and these include increased monitoring and computerised claims processing.
“We have now reduced the period used to process I.D cards for registered clients from three months to one month,” he further mentioned.
He said people’s failure to plan for their health needs contributed partly to their low standard of living.
“When you fall sick and you cannot pay for health care, your health deteriorates, you are incapacitated from working and your poverty is deepened,” the minister stated, adding that nobody could tell when he or she would fall sick.
Mr Mabengba made these remarks when he and other officials of the NHIA toured various places in the Tamale metropolis where the mass registration was ongoing.
He visited the Ambarriyya and Tamale Central mosques, where many residents had turned up to be captured under the scheme, and donated GH¢200 to support the exercise.
The Minister said the mass registration was an opportunity that the NHIA had offered Ghanaians to ensure that they were captured under the scheme without having to go through any cumbersome processes.
“The registration exercise has been brought to your doorsteps, so that you are spared the ordeal of having to transport yourselves to the schemes offices. So you have no excuse not to register,” he stated.
Mr Mabengba asked the residents not to cite the registration fee as a hindrance, noting that “you would pay ten times more if you were to go through the cash and carry system, especially if you are the type who falls sick regularly.”
He said the government was very committed to enhancing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) because the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was running a people-centred government.
“You are aware that this government is putting in place mechanisms to make the premium payment onetime. This would ensure that you save the monies that you would have used to pay the premium each year to cater for other needs,” he further stated.
The Deputy Director of Operations at the NHIA, Mr Anthony Gingong, said the NHIA had adopted an aggressive strategy to get more Ghanaians registered under the scheme.
“We want to improve upon what we came to meet so as to ensure that the health needs of Ghanaians are adequately addressed,” he stated.
Mr Gingong said aside the mass registration, the NHIA was implementing some reforms to better the administration of health insurance in all the districts and these include increased monitoring and computerised claims processing.
“We have now reduced the period used to process I.D cards for registered clients from three months to one month,” he further mentioned.
NOVELTY SUBSIDY SCHEME INTRODUCED ...On heavy agric equipment (BACK PAGE, OCT 13, 2010)
THE government and its development partners have instituted a novelty scheme to provide subsidy on heavy agricultural equipment for farmers in the three northern regions and parts of the Brong Ahafo Region.
This is to give real meaning to the government’s agricultural modernisation policy and simultaneously accelerate the development of the northern sector to eradicate rural poverty.
Under the scheme, the cost of farm equipment such as tractors, planters, harvesters, threshers and ploughs will be subsidised between 40 and 60 per cent of the cost to enable the farmers to acquire it.
The scheme is being implemented under the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), which is a $104-million agricultural support project being co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Ghana.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the initiative, the National Co-ordinator of the NRGP, Mr Roy Ayariga, said the subsidy on agricultural equipment was provided through the matching grant component of the NRGP.
“The NRGP will pay 40 to 60 per cent of the cost of the equipment as a grant to the farmer or farmer-based organisations (FBO),” he stated.
Mr Ayariga explained that to secure the grant, the farmer or FBO must get one of the banks working with the NRGP to approve a loan for the purchase of the equipment.
“The farmer will then be made to deposit 10 per cent of the cost of the equipment at the bank and the NRGP will give a grant to cover 40 per cent of the cost.
The bank will then provide the rest of the 50 per cent as a loan,” he explained.
Mr Ayariga noted that the money would not be given directly to the farmer or FBO to purchase the equipment because the money could be diverted or misused.
He said instead, the bank would deal with the equipment suppliers to purchase the equipment for the farmer, after which the farmer would begin repaying the 50 per cent cost that was provided by the bank as a loan.
The co-ordinator explained that the scheme had numerous advantages, one of which was that the financial institutions were willing to give out loans to the farmers because of the matching grant being provided by the NRGP.
The NRGP is an agricultural initiative that seeks to contribute to poverty reduction in northern Ghana through commodity chain development, rural infrastructural development and improved access to financial services by all stakeholders in the commodity value-chain.
Farmers in all the 38 districts in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions and five districts in the Brong Ahafo Region are benefiting from the programme.
This is to give real meaning to the government’s agricultural modernisation policy and simultaneously accelerate the development of the northern sector to eradicate rural poverty.
Under the scheme, the cost of farm equipment such as tractors, planters, harvesters, threshers and ploughs will be subsidised between 40 and 60 per cent of the cost to enable the farmers to acquire it.
The scheme is being implemented under the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), which is a $104-million agricultural support project being co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Ghana.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the initiative, the National Co-ordinator of the NRGP, Mr Roy Ayariga, said the subsidy on agricultural equipment was provided through the matching grant component of the NRGP.
“The NRGP will pay 40 to 60 per cent of the cost of the equipment as a grant to the farmer or farmer-based organisations (FBO),” he stated.
Mr Ayariga explained that to secure the grant, the farmer or FBO must get one of the banks working with the NRGP to approve a loan for the purchase of the equipment.
“The farmer will then be made to deposit 10 per cent of the cost of the equipment at the bank and the NRGP will give a grant to cover 40 per cent of the cost.
The bank will then provide the rest of the 50 per cent as a loan,” he explained.
Mr Ayariga noted that the money would not be given directly to the farmer or FBO to purchase the equipment because the money could be diverted or misused.
He said instead, the bank would deal with the equipment suppliers to purchase the equipment for the farmer, after which the farmer would begin repaying the 50 per cent cost that was provided by the bank as a loan.
The co-ordinator explained that the scheme had numerous advantages, one of which was that the financial institutions were willing to give out loans to the farmers because of the matching grant being provided by the NRGP.
The NRGP is an agricultural initiative that seeks to contribute to poverty reduction in northern Ghana through commodity chain development, rural infrastructural development and improved access to financial services by all stakeholders in the commodity value-chain.
Farmers in all the 38 districts in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions and five districts in the Brong Ahafo Region are benefiting from the programme.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
CDD GOES UP NORTH TO ENHANCE DEMOCRACY (PAGE 12, OCT 12, 2010)
THE Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) is to build the capacity of people and institutions in the three northern regions to participate effectively in national and local politics so as to contribute their quota to the country’s fledgling democracy.
It will also create avenues for the people to partake in national discourse on democratic governance issues to give real meaning to the principles of democracy which places more emphasis on citizen’s voices.
To realise these goals, the CDD has established an office in Tamale which will co-ordinate its programmes and activities so as to put it in a better position to collaborate well with the public and civic bodies in the north.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony for the new office, the Executive Director of the CDD-Ghana, Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, said: “We see our presence in Tamale as an opportunity for the centre to widen the scope of its activities and services to include students, researchers, civil society groups and other stakeholders in the north.”
He said the centre had on many occasions organised capacity building programmes for a number of key democracy and governance actors in the north, adding that “pitching camp in Tamale will, therefore, facilitate these programmes and yield even greater results.”
Prof. Gyimah-Boadi said the Tamale office would facilitate the centre’s research, analysis and dissemination activities in the northern half of the country.
He said the Tamale office would also enable the centre to gather relevant feedback on the views of people in the northern half of the country on democratic governance issues as and when they emerged.
The director described the choice of Tamale for the northern office as appropriate because it “occupies a critical place in the institutionalisation of democratic governance in this country.”
“In addition to being the capital of the very large Northern Region, Tamale continues to be one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities in Ghanaian politics and serves as a strategic link to the Upper East and West regions,” he further stated.
Prof. Gyimah-Boadi acknowledged the contribution of the German Development Co-operation (DED) towards the establishment of the Tamale office and its consistent support to the CDD over the last three years.
He also commended the people of the region, particularly the chiefs and political heads, for their warm welcome and expressed the hope that that would lead to a fruitful relationship between the centre and the region.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, expressed delight over the CDD’s readiness to help advance the growth of democracy in the northern sector.
He said his ministry would work closely with the centre to reach its target audience.
It will also create avenues for the people to partake in national discourse on democratic governance issues to give real meaning to the principles of democracy which places more emphasis on citizen’s voices.
To realise these goals, the CDD has established an office in Tamale which will co-ordinate its programmes and activities so as to put it in a better position to collaborate well with the public and civic bodies in the north.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony for the new office, the Executive Director of the CDD-Ghana, Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, said: “We see our presence in Tamale as an opportunity for the centre to widen the scope of its activities and services to include students, researchers, civil society groups and other stakeholders in the north.”
He said the centre had on many occasions organised capacity building programmes for a number of key democracy and governance actors in the north, adding that “pitching camp in Tamale will, therefore, facilitate these programmes and yield even greater results.”
Prof. Gyimah-Boadi said the Tamale office would facilitate the centre’s research, analysis and dissemination activities in the northern half of the country.
He said the Tamale office would also enable the centre to gather relevant feedback on the views of people in the northern half of the country on democratic governance issues as and when they emerged.
The director described the choice of Tamale for the northern office as appropriate because it “occupies a critical place in the institutionalisation of democratic governance in this country.”
“In addition to being the capital of the very large Northern Region, Tamale continues to be one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities in Ghanaian politics and serves as a strategic link to the Upper East and West regions,” he further stated.
Prof. Gyimah-Boadi acknowledged the contribution of the German Development Co-operation (DED) towards the establishment of the Tamale office and its consistent support to the CDD over the last three years.
He also commended the people of the region, particularly the chiefs and political heads, for their warm welcome and expressed the hope that that would lead to a fruitful relationship between the centre and the region.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, expressed delight over the CDD’s readiness to help advance the growth of democracy in the northern sector.
He said his ministry would work closely with the centre to reach its target audience.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
UNFPA TRAINS 20 REHABILITATED FISTULA PATIENTS (PAGE 11, OCT 9, 2010)
TWENTY women who have been treated of obstetric fistula in Northern Ghana have successfully acquired skills in various trades.
It was a joyous occasion for the women at the Ghana Institute of Linguistics and Bible Translating (GILLBT) centre in Tamale when the women demonstrated and showed, with pride, the products they had developed based on the skills they had acquired. The products included batik, pastries, bread, soap, pomade and shea-butter .
The 20 women are among a total of 317 women who have been treated of obstetric fistula in Northern Ghana under the programme ‘Strengthening Obstetric Fistula Prevention Activities and Access to Treatment in Ghana’, launched in Ghana by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with other partners in 2005.
It is part of a global campaign covering 30 countries, including Ghana, to end obstetric fistula. It has been estimated by the World Health Organisation that more than two million women suffering from fistula remained untreated in developing countries and that at least 50,000 to 100,000 new cases occurred each year.
In Ghana most of the cases are in the three northern regions due to a multiplicity of factors that include poor maternal delivery services, early child birth and forced marriages.
Victims of obstetric fistula are mostly poor women because their social and economic status in the society expose them to what is referred to as ‘road to maternal death’, which are delay to seek health care, delay in arriving at the health facility and delay in receiving health care once the woman arrives at the health facility.
Most of them are often abandoned or ignored by their husbands and families, and in most times ostracised by their communities.
Hajia Salamatu Futa of the UNFPA field office in Tamale explained that the ‘Strengthening Obstetric Fistula Prevention Activities and Access to Treatment in Ghana’ programme is in three phases; prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
She indicated that the training of the women was part of the third phase of the project which was rehabilitation aimed at empowering the women to integrate successfully into their respective communities.
Hajia Salamatu indicated that many more women who were suffering from obstetric fistula had been identified and were in line to undergo surgery.
The Chief Executive of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Alhaji Friday Haruna, who graced the occasion, indicated that the assembly would collaborate with the Ghana Health Service to consider the possibility of expanding the Tamale Fistula Repair Centre.
Since its establishment last year, the centre had been overwhelmed with cases due to the increasing number of women reporting obstetric fistula.
Alhaji Friday urged district assemblies to support fistula patients to register under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), since most of them were poor and could not afford the premium.
He appealed to development organisations to support the training and rehabilitation of the remaining women who had been treated.
It was a joyous occasion for the women at the Ghana Institute of Linguistics and Bible Translating (GILLBT) centre in Tamale when the women demonstrated and showed, with pride, the products they had developed based on the skills they had acquired. The products included batik, pastries, bread, soap, pomade and shea-butter .
The 20 women are among a total of 317 women who have been treated of obstetric fistula in Northern Ghana under the programme ‘Strengthening Obstetric Fistula Prevention Activities and Access to Treatment in Ghana’, launched in Ghana by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with other partners in 2005.
It is part of a global campaign covering 30 countries, including Ghana, to end obstetric fistula. It has been estimated by the World Health Organisation that more than two million women suffering from fistula remained untreated in developing countries and that at least 50,000 to 100,000 new cases occurred each year.
In Ghana most of the cases are in the three northern regions due to a multiplicity of factors that include poor maternal delivery services, early child birth and forced marriages.
Victims of obstetric fistula are mostly poor women because their social and economic status in the society expose them to what is referred to as ‘road to maternal death’, which are delay to seek health care, delay in arriving at the health facility and delay in receiving health care once the woman arrives at the health facility.
Most of them are often abandoned or ignored by their husbands and families, and in most times ostracised by their communities.
Hajia Salamatu Futa of the UNFPA field office in Tamale explained that the ‘Strengthening Obstetric Fistula Prevention Activities and Access to Treatment in Ghana’ programme is in three phases; prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
She indicated that the training of the women was part of the third phase of the project which was rehabilitation aimed at empowering the women to integrate successfully into their respective communities.
Hajia Salamatu indicated that many more women who were suffering from obstetric fistula had been identified and were in line to undergo surgery.
The Chief Executive of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Alhaji Friday Haruna, who graced the occasion, indicated that the assembly would collaborate with the Ghana Health Service to consider the possibility of expanding the Tamale Fistula Repair Centre.
Since its establishment last year, the centre had been overwhelmed with cases due to the increasing number of women reporting obstetric fistula.
Alhaji Friday urged district assemblies to support fistula patients to register under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), since most of them were poor and could not afford the premium.
He appealed to development organisations to support the training and rehabilitation of the remaining women who had been treated.
Friday, October 8, 2010
DAKPENA CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR TAMALE LIBRARY (PAGE 18, OCT 8, 2010)
A NOTABLE traditional leader in Tamale, the Dapkema Naa Mohammed Dawuni, has called on the government and organisations in the Northern Region to help stock the regional library in Tamale.
According to him, the development of the intellectual capacities of children in the area depend largely on how well stockeds the library is, since many of them are from families that cannot afford to buy them books to read.
The Dapkema made the call when he paid a visit to the Northern Regional Library in Tamale to interact with the management and have first hand assessment of the operations of the library and its challenges.
He and his entourage were received by the Regional Librarian, Mr Aaron Kuwornu, who took the chief and his entourage round the facility.
The Dakpema said the library was dear to his heart because of its role in enhancing the reading and speech abilities of children in Tamale.
The Regional Librarian expressed delight over the Dakpema’s visit, describing it as historic.
He said the library had a number of books to enhance the knowledge and reading abilities of children and adults and, therefore, expressed the hope that the Dakpema would encourage more children to utilise the library.
Mr Kuwornu stated that the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) was supporting the library to start an Internet cafe to enable patrons have access to online research materials.
He said through the same assistance from the GIFEC, the library would soon start a mobile library programme that would ensure that books and computers are taken to children in the rural areas to use at specific periods.
Mr Kuwornu again mentioned that the library, in partnership with a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation, HACEP, had acquired 25 computers from eIFLnet, an international organisation that supports the development of information, communication and technology facilities in public libraries in developing countries.
“We would use the computers to help disadvantaged children in parts of Tamale to acquire basic skills in computer,” he explained, adding that this would also help the children to use their time wisely, instead of engaging in acts that are detrimental to their well-being.
On challenges facing the library, Mr Kuwornu cited under-staffing and inadequate sitting capacity.
He said each month, the library recorded an attendance of about 6,000 people.
According to him, the development of the intellectual capacities of children in the area depend largely on how well stockeds the library is, since many of them are from families that cannot afford to buy them books to read.
The Dapkema made the call when he paid a visit to the Northern Regional Library in Tamale to interact with the management and have first hand assessment of the operations of the library and its challenges.
He and his entourage were received by the Regional Librarian, Mr Aaron Kuwornu, who took the chief and his entourage round the facility.
The Dakpema said the library was dear to his heart because of its role in enhancing the reading and speech abilities of children in Tamale.
The Regional Librarian expressed delight over the Dakpema’s visit, describing it as historic.
He said the library had a number of books to enhance the knowledge and reading abilities of children and adults and, therefore, expressed the hope that the Dakpema would encourage more children to utilise the library.
Mr Kuwornu stated that the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) was supporting the library to start an Internet cafe to enable patrons have access to online research materials.
He said through the same assistance from the GIFEC, the library would soon start a mobile library programme that would ensure that books and computers are taken to children in the rural areas to use at specific periods.
Mr Kuwornu again mentioned that the library, in partnership with a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation, HACEP, had acquired 25 computers from eIFLnet, an international organisation that supports the development of information, communication and technology facilities in public libraries in developing countries.
“We would use the computers to help disadvantaged children in parts of Tamale to acquire basic skills in computer,” he explained, adding that this would also help the children to use their time wisely, instead of engaging in acts that are detrimental to their well-being.
On challenges facing the library, Mr Kuwornu cited under-staffing and inadequate sitting capacity.
He said each month, the library recorded an attendance of about 6,000 people.
RESOLVE ISSUES AT GHANA COTTON COMPANY (PAGE 18, OCT 8, 2010)
LAST week, the Ghana Cotton Company Limited in Tamale made the headlines following a notice served by some of its workers to lay down their tools due to what they claimed was mismanagement of the company.
Clad in red T-shirts and wearing arm bands, the workers marched through the streets of Tamale and later presented a petition to the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi.
The petition, signed by the Local Chairman of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Mr Zuanah Raphael, alleged that the workers had not been paid their salaries for the past six months.
It also mentioned that while the company had failed to pay these salaries, its management were spending money on other ventures which included providing car loans, paying huge salaries to top management, renting office premises in Accra at exorbitant costs and sponsoring some senior management members to pursue further education, although some of them were due for retirement.
The workers again accused the management of procuring expired and re-labelled insecticides that had led to the decline in production.
The workers entreated the government to undertake a forensic audit into the activities and operations of the company from 2004 when the company underwent divestiture to expose any wrongdoing.
They also called for a restructuring exercise, which includes appointing a Board of Directors and a substantive manager to redirect the company to attain growth.
In response to these issues, the management of the company issued a press release, signed by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Akamboe Ayirebasia, which described the actions of the workers as unfortunate.
It said the group’s actions did not constitute the collective decision of both senior and junior workers’ unions from the three divisions of the company, which are in Tamale, Bolgatanga and Tumu.
Addressing the pertinent issues raised by the workers, the management said the inability of the company to pay its workers for the past six months was because the company could not make revenue due to a multiplicity of factors that include low yields, low lint prices and high interest on loans.
The management pointed out that while production had reduced from 38,300 metric tonnes to 1,421 metric tonnes, the prices of the commodity had also been unstable.
It further mentioned that the company acquired loans for its farmers at commercial rates and yet some of the farmers failed to repay such loans, and as such has now accumulated to over GH¢2 billion.
On the issue of expired insecticides, the management said it received complaints from cotton farmers about the insecticides, which the company supplied in 2007.
It said investigations were carried out by the company and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and no evidence of malfeasance was found. It further stated that while some farmers complained of low yields, others in Tumu who used the same chemicals recorded average yields.
The management also reacted to the objections raised by the workers regarding car loans, insisting that “the loans were given to raise productivity through boosting the morale of beneficiary staff.”
It again defended its decision to sponsor the training of managers, explaining that such training would equip the management staff with the managerial skills necessary to take the company out of the woods.
The management however asked the workers to be patient because the world market price for lint recently rose above 100 cents a pound which is a good sign.
Again, the government has announced a GH¢5 million support for the cotton industry and has promised to double the facility next year should the loan recovery reach 100 per cent.
Aside from these developments, various stakeholder forums have recently been organised to discuss the woes of the cotton industry and to seek sustainable solutions.
It is clear that the cotton industry is facing serious challenges. The emerging rifts in the company could either be that effective communication does not exist between the workers and the management or that certain illegalities are really going on.
Whatever the case, the government must investigate to ascertain the real situation and issues involved and resolve these matters in order to put the company back on track.
Obviously, if the government wants to transform the Savannah Region and bridge the north-south development gap, then the cotton industry is one of those critical areas that must be given adequate attention.
Clad in red T-shirts and wearing arm bands, the workers marched through the streets of Tamale and later presented a petition to the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi.
The petition, signed by the Local Chairman of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Mr Zuanah Raphael, alleged that the workers had not been paid their salaries for the past six months.
It also mentioned that while the company had failed to pay these salaries, its management were spending money on other ventures which included providing car loans, paying huge salaries to top management, renting office premises in Accra at exorbitant costs and sponsoring some senior management members to pursue further education, although some of them were due for retirement.
The workers again accused the management of procuring expired and re-labelled insecticides that had led to the decline in production.
The workers entreated the government to undertake a forensic audit into the activities and operations of the company from 2004 when the company underwent divestiture to expose any wrongdoing.
They also called for a restructuring exercise, which includes appointing a Board of Directors and a substantive manager to redirect the company to attain growth.
In response to these issues, the management of the company issued a press release, signed by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Akamboe Ayirebasia, which described the actions of the workers as unfortunate.
It said the group’s actions did not constitute the collective decision of both senior and junior workers’ unions from the three divisions of the company, which are in Tamale, Bolgatanga and Tumu.
Addressing the pertinent issues raised by the workers, the management said the inability of the company to pay its workers for the past six months was because the company could not make revenue due to a multiplicity of factors that include low yields, low lint prices and high interest on loans.
The management pointed out that while production had reduced from 38,300 metric tonnes to 1,421 metric tonnes, the prices of the commodity had also been unstable.
It further mentioned that the company acquired loans for its farmers at commercial rates and yet some of the farmers failed to repay such loans, and as such has now accumulated to over GH¢2 billion.
On the issue of expired insecticides, the management said it received complaints from cotton farmers about the insecticides, which the company supplied in 2007.
It said investigations were carried out by the company and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and no evidence of malfeasance was found. It further stated that while some farmers complained of low yields, others in Tumu who used the same chemicals recorded average yields.
The management also reacted to the objections raised by the workers regarding car loans, insisting that “the loans were given to raise productivity through boosting the morale of beneficiary staff.”
It again defended its decision to sponsor the training of managers, explaining that such training would equip the management staff with the managerial skills necessary to take the company out of the woods.
The management however asked the workers to be patient because the world market price for lint recently rose above 100 cents a pound which is a good sign.
Again, the government has announced a GH¢5 million support for the cotton industry and has promised to double the facility next year should the loan recovery reach 100 per cent.
Aside from these developments, various stakeholder forums have recently been organised to discuss the woes of the cotton industry and to seek sustainable solutions.
It is clear that the cotton industry is facing serious challenges. The emerging rifts in the company could either be that effective communication does not exist between the workers and the management or that certain illegalities are really going on.
Whatever the case, the government must investigate to ascertain the real situation and issues involved and resolve these matters in order to put the company back on track.
Obviously, if the government wants to transform the Savannah Region and bridge the north-south development gap, then the cotton industry is one of those critical areas that must be given adequate attention.
DON'T MISINTERPRET OUR EFFORTS...NGOs tell TaMA (PAGE 18, OCT 8, 2010)
NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working to improve the living conditions of residents in Tamale and its surrounding areas have called on the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly’s (TaMA) not to misinterpret their efforts to dialogue with the people on their development needs through forums, as a negative attempt to create disaffection.
They explained that such forums enabled them to prioritise and also avoid duplication of programmes, since many organisations and institutions are sometimes interested in providing the same facility to a particular community, when other communities need them most.
The NGOs further indicated that they went beyond organising such forums to providing some of the needs of the communities, such as potable water systems, sanitation facilities, educational infrastructure, health facilities and community centres, among others.
Making the call following what they described as the TaMA’s unfriendly attitude towards some of the NGOs after it accused them of influencing communities with their donor funding projects and inciting them against the government, the NGOs and CSOs said such allegations, although untrue, made them so apprehensive that they found it difficult continuing their interventions.
Last week, the Co-ordinating Director of the TaMA, Mr John B. Atogiba said it had come to the notice of the assembly that some NGOs were influencing communities with their donor funding projects and inciting them against the government.
He said the assembly was looking out for these NGOs who, in his estimation, were making the government unpopular.
He therefore, threatened that the assembly would “blacklist” such organisations and ban them from operating in the metropolis.
The comments of the Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director followed a citizen’s engagement forum that had been organised in some parts of the metropolis, which created the platform for community members to put forward their concerns and propose interventions that would better their well-being.
In recent times, most of the NGOs have diversified their activities to include citizen’s engagement forums, which seek to bring inhabitants of communities together to discuss development challenges facing them.
This is part of the development paradigm that stresses on the down-to-top approach, where community members are involved in seeking solutions to their development challenges.
This is opposed to the top-to-down approach where leaders design development interventions without consulting the people that such programmes have been designed for, sometimes leading to the failure of such interventions.
It is, therefore, increasingly becoming the demand of the development partners that the citizens must lead the process to find solutions to development challenges they face, which receive funding.
However, the TaMA and some political leaders appear to be uncomfortable with such citizen engagement forums, because they believe that such forums create the platform for residents to chastise the assembly and government for its failures.
The statement of the Co-ordinating director has therefore sparked some uneasiness among the NGOs and CSOs.
The executives of some of the NGOs, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Daily Graphic that they were saddened by such anti-development stands adopted by the assembly.
“We are simply working to help the assembly fulfil its mandate, because it is their duty to engage their people to find solutions to their problems,” one of the executives stated.
They also explained that such forums help to give the government and its development partners some critical feedback regarding the effectiveness of their interventions.
They explained that such forums enabled them to prioritise and also avoid duplication of programmes, since many organisations and institutions are sometimes interested in providing the same facility to a particular community, when other communities need them most.
The NGOs further indicated that they went beyond organising such forums to providing some of the needs of the communities, such as potable water systems, sanitation facilities, educational infrastructure, health facilities and community centres, among others.
Making the call following what they described as the TaMA’s unfriendly attitude towards some of the NGOs after it accused them of influencing communities with their donor funding projects and inciting them against the government, the NGOs and CSOs said such allegations, although untrue, made them so apprehensive that they found it difficult continuing their interventions.
Last week, the Co-ordinating Director of the TaMA, Mr John B. Atogiba said it had come to the notice of the assembly that some NGOs were influencing communities with their donor funding projects and inciting them against the government.
He said the assembly was looking out for these NGOs who, in his estimation, were making the government unpopular.
He therefore, threatened that the assembly would “blacklist” such organisations and ban them from operating in the metropolis.
The comments of the Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director followed a citizen’s engagement forum that had been organised in some parts of the metropolis, which created the platform for community members to put forward their concerns and propose interventions that would better their well-being.
In recent times, most of the NGOs have diversified their activities to include citizen’s engagement forums, which seek to bring inhabitants of communities together to discuss development challenges facing them.
This is part of the development paradigm that stresses on the down-to-top approach, where community members are involved in seeking solutions to their development challenges.
This is opposed to the top-to-down approach where leaders design development interventions without consulting the people that such programmes have been designed for, sometimes leading to the failure of such interventions.
It is, therefore, increasingly becoming the demand of the development partners that the citizens must lead the process to find solutions to development challenges they face, which receive funding.
However, the TaMA and some political leaders appear to be uncomfortable with such citizen engagement forums, because they believe that such forums create the platform for residents to chastise the assembly and government for its failures.
The statement of the Co-ordinating director has therefore sparked some uneasiness among the NGOs and CSOs.
The executives of some of the NGOs, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Daily Graphic that they were saddened by such anti-development stands adopted by the assembly.
“We are simply working to help the assembly fulfil its mandate, because it is their duty to engage their people to find solutions to their problems,” one of the executives stated.
They also explained that such forums help to give the government and its development partners some critical feedback regarding the effectiveness of their interventions.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
PASSPORT OFFICE MOVES UP NORTH... For the sake of would=be pilgrims (1B, OCT 5, 2010)
THE Passport Office has begun processing biometric passports for Muslims in the three northern regions, who will undertake this year’s Hajj to Saudi Arabia.
The application process has been decentralised to ensure that all prospective pilgrims are captured before the end of October.
About 420 prospective pilgrims from the Northern and Upper East regions gathered in Tamale yesterday to process their applications when the mobile data capturing team made its first stop there.
Officials of the Foreign Ministry said they were capturing the bio-data, fingerprints, pictures, signatures and other details of the participants and cautioned that the process was solely limited to prospective Hajj pilgrims for this year.
They again said that the application process in Tamale would last for only two days, after which the team would move to Wa and Kumasi to capture other prospective pilgrims in those areas, adding that the process would continue until October 15, 2010.
In an interview, Alhaji Yakubu Ayana, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ayana Travel and Tours, commended the government for decentralising the registration process.
“This would ensure that our people are given the biometric passports in time before they embark on the Hajj,” he stated.
Alhaji Ayana said information available to him indicated that a small aircraft would be dispatched to Tamale to airlift the pilgrims to Accra by the end of October.
“Immediately they land in Accra, they would board a larger airline to Madina in Saudi Arabia to begin the Hajj process,” he further mentioned.
The Hajj agent said he was, particularly, happy about the improvement in the arrangements made by the government since that would ease the suffering that those in the three northern regions usually went through whenever they wanted to go for the Hajj.
“Pilgrims from the North usually account for more than half of the total number of pilgrims who leave the country for Hajj, so this is a welcome news for them,” he stated.
Officials of the Hajj Board were, however, not present at the time of filing the report.
About 700 passports for prospective pilgrims are expected to be processed in the Northern Region before officials move to the other regions to continue with the processing of passports.
The Chairman of the National Hajj Committee (NHC), Alhaji Alhasan Bene, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the move would save the would-be pilgrims for this year’s Hajj the ordeal of having to travel to Accra for their pictures and fingerprints to be taken for the biometric passports.
He said officials of the Passport Office had indicated that all the prospective pilgrims in each of the regions would be gathered at a centre for their pictures and fingerprints to be taken.
He, therefore, charged would-be pilgrims outside Accra to make it a point to converge at the centres to process their passports.
Meanwhile, Alhaji Bene has said the NHC has struck a deal with Egypt Air to lift about 2,700 Ghanaian Muslim pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Egypt Air is to embark on nine flights with the first batch of pilgrims expected to leave on October 25, 2010.
Alhaji Bene said the pilgrims would be flown direct to Madina, where they would have the privilege of praying in Prophet Mohammed’s mosque for three days before moving to Mecca and stay for some days before the start of the Hajj rites.
He said the NHC had already secured accommodation for pilgrims in Madina and Mecca.
He indicated that air-conditioned tents would be mounted at the Hajj Village a few days before the departure.
Alhaji Bene denied claims that the $3,100 Hajj fare would be reduced to between $1,500 and $2,000.
He said the deadline for the payment of the Hajj fare was October 15, 2010, and asked prospective pilgrims to pay before the deadline because it would not be extended.
The application process has been decentralised to ensure that all prospective pilgrims are captured before the end of October.
About 420 prospective pilgrims from the Northern and Upper East regions gathered in Tamale yesterday to process their applications when the mobile data capturing team made its first stop there.
Officials of the Foreign Ministry said they were capturing the bio-data, fingerprints, pictures, signatures and other details of the participants and cautioned that the process was solely limited to prospective Hajj pilgrims for this year.
They again said that the application process in Tamale would last for only two days, after which the team would move to Wa and Kumasi to capture other prospective pilgrims in those areas, adding that the process would continue until October 15, 2010.
In an interview, Alhaji Yakubu Ayana, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ayana Travel and Tours, commended the government for decentralising the registration process.
“This would ensure that our people are given the biometric passports in time before they embark on the Hajj,” he stated.
Alhaji Ayana said information available to him indicated that a small aircraft would be dispatched to Tamale to airlift the pilgrims to Accra by the end of October.
“Immediately they land in Accra, they would board a larger airline to Madina in Saudi Arabia to begin the Hajj process,” he further mentioned.
The Hajj agent said he was, particularly, happy about the improvement in the arrangements made by the government since that would ease the suffering that those in the three northern regions usually went through whenever they wanted to go for the Hajj.
“Pilgrims from the North usually account for more than half of the total number of pilgrims who leave the country for Hajj, so this is a welcome news for them,” he stated.
Officials of the Hajj Board were, however, not present at the time of filing the report.
About 700 passports for prospective pilgrims are expected to be processed in the Northern Region before officials move to the other regions to continue with the processing of passports.
The Chairman of the National Hajj Committee (NHC), Alhaji Alhasan Bene, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the move would save the would-be pilgrims for this year’s Hajj the ordeal of having to travel to Accra for their pictures and fingerprints to be taken for the biometric passports.
He said officials of the Passport Office had indicated that all the prospective pilgrims in each of the regions would be gathered at a centre for their pictures and fingerprints to be taken.
He, therefore, charged would-be pilgrims outside Accra to make it a point to converge at the centres to process their passports.
Meanwhile, Alhaji Bene has said the NHC has struck a deal with Egypt Air to lift about 2,700 Ghanaian Muslim pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Egypt Air is to embark on nine flights with the first batch of pilgrims expected to leave on October 25, 2010.
Alhaji Bene said the pilgrims would be flown direct to Madina, where they would have the privilege of praying in Prophet Mohammed’s mosque for three days before moving to Mecca and stay for some days before the start of the Hajj rites.
He said the NHC had already secured accommodation for pilgrims in Madina and Mecca.
He indicated that air-conditioned tents would be mounted at the Hajj Village a few days before the departure.
Alhaji Bene denied claims that the $3,100 Hajj fare would be reduced to between $1,500 and $2,000.
He said the deadline for the payment of the Hajj fare was October 15, 2010, and asked prospective pilgrims to pay before the deadline because it would not be extended.
PROJECT TO RESTORE DEGRADED LANDS LAUNCHED (BACK PAGE, OCT 6, 2010
A PROJECT for the restoration of degraded lands, water and other natural resources in the country’s Savannah zone has been launched in Tamale.
Supported by a 7.4 million Canadian dollar grant from the Canadian Government, the project will be executed under the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP) to combat desertification and drought in the zone.
The grant is to be co-ordinated by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The project will also seek to enhance the capacity of the beneficiary communities and institutions, both public and private, to implement and sustain the project effectively for their long-term benefit.
To prepare for its take-off, a capacity-building workshop has been held for community leaders, assemblies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other institutions in the three northern regions to equip them with the needed skills to formulate effective project proposals that seek to address the priority areas of the GEMP.
The workshop was organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is the implementing agency for the GEMP.
The GEMP is one of the strategies that the government is using to achieve the targets of the National Action Programme (NAP) to combat desertification and drought in Ghana which was formulated in 2003 in furtherance of Ghana’s ratification of the United Nation’s Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
A technical assistant at the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Raymond Babanawo, told the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the workshop that the GEMP would accept project proposals under two categories.
“The proposals from individuals and communities will fall under one category, while those from NGOs, assemblies and other institutions will fall under another,” he noted.
He said each proposal would be assessed on its merit with regard to its ability to address the priority areas of the GEMP, including combating desertification and drought and its relation to poverty alleviation.
Dr Babanawo said an effective proposal was one whose output would be quantifiable, such as showing evidence of a land area protected from degradation, a degraded area rehabilitated and bio-diversity corridor created.
The Northern Regional Director of the EPA, Mr Iddrisu Abu, noted that the training programme would also enhance the skills of the district and regional environmental committees to effectively vet the proposals.
He said the EPA would work to ensure the success of the GEMP by ensuring proper networking among all the stakeholders and the delivery of all projects right on schedule.
The government and its partners are strengthening efforts to replenish the vegetation and forest resources in the north, after realising that the north is likely to suffer the effects of climate change more.
Already, over the past few years, the savannah area has witnessed periods of drought, erratic rainfall patterns, floods and an increase in temperature that have sparked the spread of diseases such as cerebro-spinal meningitis.
The unpredictable weather pattern and rain disasters, coupled with deforestation and other forms of land degradation, have impacted negatively on crop cultivation and livestock production and these have heightened food insecurity, particularly among the rural poor in northern Ghana.
Supported by a 7.4 million Canadian dollar grant from the Canadian Government, the project will be executed under the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP) to combat desertification and drought in the zone.
The grant is to be co-ordinated by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The project will also seek to enhance the capacity of the beneficiary communities and institutions, both public and private, to implement and sustain the project effectively for their long-term benefit.
To prepare for its take-off, a capacity-building workshop has been held for community leaders, assemblies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other institutions in the three northern regions to equip them with the needed skills to formulate effective project proposals that seek to address the priority areas of the GEMP.
The workshop was organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is the implementing agency for the GEMP.
The GEMP is one of the strategies that the government is using to achieve the targets of the National Action Programme (NAP) to combat desertification and drought in Ghana which was formulated in 2003 in furtherance of Ghana’s ratification of the United Nation’s Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
A technical assistant at the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Raymond Babanawo, told the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the workshop that the GEMP would accept project proposals under two categories.
“The proposals from individuals and communities will fall under one category, while those from NGOs, assemblies and other institutions will fall under another,” he noted.
He said each proposal would be assessed on its merit with regard to its ability to address the priority areas of the GEMP, including combating desertification and drought and its relation to poverty alleviation.
Dr Babanawo said an effective proposal was one whose output would be quantifiable, such as showing evidence of a land area protected from degradation, a degraded area rehabilitated and bio-diversity corridor created.
The Northern Regional Director of the EPA, Mr Iddrisu Abu, noted that the training programme would also enhance the skills of the district and regional environmental committees to effectively vet the proposals.
He said the EPA would work to ensure the success of the GEMP by ensuring proper networking among all the stakeholders and the delivery of all projects right on schedule.
The government and its partners are strengthening efforts to replenish the vegetation and forest resources in the north, after realising that the north is likely to suffer the effects of climate change more.
Already, over the past few years, the savannah area has witnessed periods of drought, erratic rainfall patterns, floods and an increase in temperature that have sparked the spread of diseases such as cerebro-spinal meningitis.
The unpredictable weather pattern and rain disasters, coupled with deforestation and other forms of land degradation, have impacted negatively on crop cultivation and livestock production and these have heightened food insecurity, particularly among the rural poor in northern Ghana.
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